Thawed
by Elizabeth Cooper
Summary: When people from outside of Arendelle learn of Elsa's power, powerful kings and princes come to woo her and gain control of her and her country as an ally, including the mysterious fire-wielder prince of the east Haydn. As Elsa and Anna plan Anna and Kristoff's wedding, they also have to deal with the plots of outlandish and dastardly princes.
1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note: Hello, everyone. So, for those who don't know, I'm currently more seriously writing another fanfiction called** _ **Darling**_ **Deduction: check it out. But I really was inspired to write this story as well. However, while I'm updating that one once a week, this one will probably be on a less specific schedule…I'm thinking every other Saturday at this time, but I'll let you guys know if I decide to switch to once a month. While this story is, in essence, more of a romance than** _ **Goblin Rebels**_ **(my first story: check it out too, if you like—it's complete), there is going to be other prominent themes in it as well because, frankly, if I tried to write a straight-up romance, I would probably end up ripping out all my hair in frustration. Anyway, enjoy and let me know what you guys think.**

 **One. The Mission**

"There is beauty in your magic…but also great danger."

—Frozen, Grand Pabbie

The scalding sun boiled the sand as the dusty wind gave little relief to the blistering inferno. The desert was silent. Yet the soft hum of a warrior's blade could be heard vibrating in the sandy hills. An invisible fight raged inside the dunes. Suddenly, a warrior shot into the sky like a feathered arrow, flying high above the scorching desert. Four black figures flew up around him on each side, their airspeed significantly slower than his.

Their swords were raised over their heads as they dove at the solitary figure. For a single second, it looked as if all the figures were suspended in the air, as if time had frozen. Then, in a quick flash, the center figure raised his hands and a rush of heat enveloped the four attackers as flames shot from his palms, surrounding their bodies and incinerating them in one clean sweep.

The single figure fell back to the ground as ash and dust fell around him. His sand-colored clothes blended into the ground, and the tips of his long cloak wafted in the gusts from the cremated attackers. As the foes' swords fell to the ground and lodged themselves deep into the sand, everything fell silence.

When all the dust had settled, the figure opened his red eyes and looked over the horizon. At its very tip sat a fortress, constructed to rise above the sandy wasteland around it. Though his face and head were covered with a thick turban and headscarf, his eyes twinkled slightly at the sight the city. Without a word, he made his way towards that citadel.

The inside of the city was busy, filled with those who inhabited the pits of hell. But this figure did not bother traversing the streets. Instead, the rooftops were his road as he flew across the space between the buildings, silent as a hawk. It took him moments to come to a halt, staring up at the center citadel before him. The inside wall that surrounded the king's palace rose much higher than the outer wall. But this obstacle also proved little nuisance to this man.

His first jump brought him across the gap separating the nearest building from the wall, and his feet and hands dug expertly into the brick of the wall as he scaled it as quickly as a monkey. Once at the top, he dashed past lazy guards and descended into a lush, tropical garden which surrounded the palace.

While his path brought him up the side stairs and past a curtain into the interior of the palace, his eyes were continuously aware of his surroundings, making certain not even a small slave saw him. Even his sandals did not make a sound on the miraculously clean, white marble floor. Finally, he slipped inside a room and looked around, observing every particle inside.

It was a large bedroom, lavishly furnished with tapestries, silks, and bamboo furniture. Transparent drapes hung over doors which appeared to exit into a private garden. The entire place gave an aura of power and wealth.

The figure walked forward to glance up at a tapestry ordaining the wall. It showed a battle waged in the desert. In the center stood a warrior, his right hand raised to the sky as a huge bolt of fire shot from his palm, enveloping the entire heavens in flames.

He smiled at the tapestry again and removed his turban, letting it fall to the ground as he shook the dust from his pitch-black hair. His eyes shone a soft, red color, and the skin around his left eye was tainted by a thin red scar, almost invisible to the naked eye. He was young.

Footsteps sounded in the hall, but the figure made no move to hide as an elderly man entered the room, clothed in a white robe. In one hand he held a broom and in the other he held a bucket. However, when he saw the figure, he froze.

Recognition dawned on the old man's face, and he fell into a low bow, his knees cracking as he bent his knee in respect. The figure watched him as the man said in a thick accent, "Your highness, hail to the prince of the sun and the stars. I was not aware of your return. I will prepare you Nilgiri tea and bread to relax you from your long journey, and I will inform Lord Sikh of your arrival."

The prince finally spoke, his voice deep and gravelly. "Tarry for a moment, Albare. Before you inform anyone of my arrival, I should like to have a proper bath to wipe the blood of the raiders off my body. The tea and bread can wait."

The servant bowed, quickly making his way to the attached bathhouse beside the bed chamber. Within an hour, the prince had emerged from his bath feeling more human and less vagabond. The moment he reentered his chamber from the bathhouse, he was treated with the sight of a small man, half his height and twice his girth. The man wore robes that seemed to envelope his short stature, though his stomach looked larger than humanly possible. His head was wrapped in a turban to keep the world from realizing he had no hair on the top of his head.

When he saw the prince enter, he bowed low. "Prince Haydn, your arrival is fortuitous. Your father, our great king, has just this past day sent soldiers out to look for you."

"Oh, is there a warrant upon my head?" Prince Haydn's lip twitched as he attempted not to laugh at the pathetic creature before him.

"Do not joke, I beg you, your highness. Your father is in quite a hurry. I am certain he will want you to leave upon the day."

"Leave, Lord Sikh? I have just returned home. If he is concerned about the raiders, I took care of them with little trouble. What else would he have me do for our country?"

"Journey north, sire."

"Clarify you statement, Lord Sikh, before I am tempted to cut out your tongue."

The little man trembled a bit, amusing Prince Haydn even more. "He is sending you on a wedding mission."

"Whose wedding?"

"He is hoping yours. He wishes you to make a queen fall in love with you and make you her king."

"Does my father not see I have not the time to seduce ignorant queens? I refuse." The prince turned to leave the room, but Lord Sikh followed closely on his heels.

"But your father will insist. And, your highness, this queen is quite unique. She has powers that are quite extraordinary. If we were to combine the fire powers your family possesses with her powers, no one would stand in your way."

The prince paused, turning his head slightly to address the lord. "You say she has powers? What sort of powers?"

"Cyrokinetic powers, sire. She controls ice, frost, and snow. Not six months ago she froze her entire kingdom. She hid her powers amazingly for twenty-one years, but now that her powers have been revealed, many kings and princes will seek her hand for the power she possesses."

Prince Haydn snorted. "What a sad world it is that a woman's worth is given by the power she possesses. And I suppose I have no choice in the matter of going."

"Indeed, the king will surely send your cousin Lord Jain with you to make sure you succeed in your mission."

"Am I then a slave to be ordered around by a master?"

Lord Sikh made no answer.

"Then tell me, what is this ice maiden's country and name, and what excuse shall I give for showing up at her doorstep?"

"The excuse is a wedding, her younger sister's wedding, to be exact. To a mere peasant, I hear. Oh, and her name is Queen Elsa of Arendelle."

"Queen Elsa of Arendelle." Prince Haydn raised his hand as a small flame rose from his fingertips and hung in the air above his hand. "What a lovely name, for such an icy queen. This should be bothersome and tricky, but also ever so interesting!"


	2. Chapter 2

**Two. The Formulation**

"Well, we haven't worked out all the details ourselves. We'll need a few days to plan the ceremony. Of course, we'll have soup, roast, and ice cream and then…"

—Frozen, Anna

"Elsa, where are my shoes?"

"On your feet."

"Oh, gosh, of course. I just put them on. My head must be in the clouds. Do you think my hair looks fine this way?"

"If you want Kristoff to think you are a lion in the jungle with a huge mane, then yes."

"Elsa, you are not helping! Can you please put down your book and help for one second? I know you're still getting used to not living as a hermit, but my wedding is one month away and we must prepare. I can't believe it's almost here! I can't believe Kristoff said yes when I asked him to marry me. Do you think it's weird that I asked him to marry me? I mean, usually it's the guy who proposes, right?"

Elsa, queen of Arendelle, watched her younger sister pace the floor of her room, her reddish-brown hair in a puff and her dress slightly wrinkled. How did she mess up her hair that much? Anna was talented; Elsa admitted that. Though, whether she was ready to be a bride, Elsa wasn't so certain. Anna was dreadfully young and, though she and Kristoff made the cutest couple ever, Elsa still worried if her younger sister could handle marriage. She was so idealistic.

In the middle of Anna's rant, a servant entered the room and bowed before his queen and princess. "Your majesty."

Elsa turned from her sister and nodded to the servant. "Yes?"

"Some of the guests are arriving."

"What guests?"

"The guests of the princess's wedding. They say they plan to stay until the wedding."

Anna stopped moving and asked, "What? The wedding isn't for a month. Why would they be arriving so early?"

The messenger smiled. "Apparently, they would like to help with the wedding."

Elsa felt uncomfortable. She didn't like strangers in her castle. It was enough to deal with the wedding planners, caterers, and florists. She did not need to deal with more strangers. It chilled her, and it took a lot to make her feel cold.

Anna, on the other hand, jumped up and down. "Oh my gosh, this is so exciting. Having nobles actually stay in the castle. Elsa, we should plan events. We could set up a skating rink and have picnics. We could have hunting parties…minus killing animals, of course. We could do so many things!"

"Anna." Elsa's voice felt raspy. She cleared her throat, trying to find words. Her heart was pumping. She was so used to hiding away. It took getting used to even having diplomats come for a couple days. Why did they have to come a month early?

Anna continued, unperturbed, "Oh, I should go tell Kristoff. No, wait! I need to brush my hair. Are there any girls our age? I hope there are."

When Anna paused to stare at the servant expectantly, he looked taken aback. He probably wasn't used to Anna pausing for a moment to get answers to any of her ridiculous questions. Elsa felt sorry for him usually. However, this time she waited expectantly, starring over at him blinking her eyes.

"Y—yes, your highness, I believe there are a few."

"A few? There must not be many guests then."

"There are several dozen, I should say."

Elsa felt horrified. "Several dozen!"

Anne ignored her sister's comment and continued, "So, if they're not girls our age, who are they? Please don't tell me they are all old people."

The servant shook his head. "No, in fact, most of them are young princes and kings from around the world."

"Kings? Princes? What are they doing here?" Anna voiced what Elsa was about to ask.

Shifting uncomfortably, the man glanced cautiously over at Elsa. "Well—that is, they say they are here for the wedding. I—I don't like listening to rumors."

"What rumors?" Elsa asked coldly. She did not like to have anything kept from her.

He trembled slightly at her menacing voice and immediately she felt repentant. She knew her people still hadn't completely accepted the fact that someone with such power as hers could ever be completely good. And she hated the fear that she still elicited from some of her subjects. That was when she envied Anna most: Anna had an amazing ability to make people feel comfortable around her, whereas Elsa seemed to prompt an opposite reaction. Sometimes—no, most times—she still wished she was normal like her sister.

Luckily, Anna broke into the uncomfortable silence. "Ohhhh! Rumors!"

"I do not know if it is proper to say, your majesty," the servant finally offered, his face getting oddly red. However, despite his reservations, he answered his queen. "Some rumors are going around the castle that these men have come to seek your hand in marriage."

Elsa mouth opened in awe. "My hand?'

The servant nodded.

Anna, on the other hand, didn't seem so shocked. "Really? Oh, Elsa, isn't this great? I can get married and you can find your prince charming."

"I thought Hans had convinced you that you don't have a prince charming?"

"No, he just convinced me that there's no love at first sight. After all, Kristoff is my true prince charming, even though he does smell. But he promises to start taking bathes once a week. But where was I? Oh, right, your prince charming. You mustn't give up. After all, I got incredibly lucky. You'll—"

"Please stop, Anna!" Elsa clenched her fists as she felt the coldness grow in her. But she had learned control it and could stop her power from raging when she felt frightened. "I do not wish to marry. Have the parties you like, but I will have nothing to do with it. I just want to rule in peace. Is that just too much to ask?"

Elsa could endure no more and burst her way out of the room, taking deep breaths. Sometimes, even now, she needed to get away.

She stopped in the hall and leaned against the wall, trying to remember to breathe.

"Elsa?"

Elsa turned as Anna placed a hand on her arm.

"I'm sorry, Elsa. I didn't mean…that is to say, I didn't think you would get upset. I just want you to be as happy as I am."

"I don't think I can be, Anna. I am cursed with a melancholy disposition. I envy you for your endless cheerfulness."

Anna shook Elsa's arm. "Stop being depressed. I won't try to match you with any of the princes. Just don't shut yourself away again. I promise, we'll be so busy that a month will fly by. And you won't have to do anything."

Elsa glanced down at the radiant face of her younger sister. Without Anna, she didn't know what would have happened to Arendelle. Her hand reached up and stroked Anna's cheek. "Don't talk nonsense. This is your wedding. The last thing you need is to have to do all the work. Besides, working will give me an excuse to not have to deal with any visitors. So, just relax and enjoy yourself. You like socializing more than I, and I will do all the planning."

Anne jumped up and down, and started talking about all her plans for parties and balls. Elsa listened kindly, but she still felt a curl in her stomach. She tried to push the fear back, but she knew it would always be there. She just didn't want to deal with men trying to marry her.


	3. Chapter 3

**Author's note: Hey, guys. So I'm a bit disappointed on not receiving any reviews for this story, so I've decided to only upload this story once a month (the first Saturday of the month) instead of twice a month and focus more on my Peter Pan story. That does not mean I'm quitting this story; it just means I won't be uploading as often. For this chapter, I'm curious if you guys like how I'm portraying Kristoff's character. For some reason, I'm not happy with how his character is coming across. I like both Elsa and Anna's character, but Kristoff I'm not so sure of. Let me know in a comment what you think about that or anything else you've noticed. See you all on the fourth of July!**

 **Three. Arendelle's Entrance**

"Ah, Arendelle, our most mysterious trade partner. Open those gates so I may unlock you secrets and exploit your riches."

—Frozen, Duke

The chill in the air could have frozen even the coldest snowman.

"What the devil was my father thinking by sending me here," Haydn voiced, his nose as blue as the lake. He stood bundled in bear fur at the edge of the ship, staring out towards the mountain ranges before him.

Although he had never been adverse to cold before, this cold seemed particularly bone chilling. He had spent many a chilly nights on the sand dunes of the desert and had even visited the mountains running parallel to his father's country, but nothing could have prepared him for this cold. He had to constantly summon up heat inside of him to keep himself warm, which made him both exhausted and peevish.

"Shall I take it that you aren't enjoying your vacation than, cousin?"

Haydn glanced behind him as his mother's brother's son came to stand beside him. Unlike most of the men of Hariq—Haydn's country in the south—, Lord Jain was quite tall. Most of the men populating Nar, the capital of Hariq, were stocky, boxy men with poor looks and great strength. Lord Jain was the opposite. He was gangly and slender, his face lean and dark. His slimness and height even outdid Haydn who was hardly a short, boxy fellow himself. Even Haydn's skin was a shade darker than his cousin's, though that could most likely be attributed to his exposure to the sun.

"I have figured out my father's motive for sending me here." Haydn continued to watch the sea and mountains before him. "He plans for me to freeze to death."

"That would be ironic indeed, considering you have the power of fire."

"Yes, but my power has its limits, and I am out of my element."

"Good." Jain's voice mocked Haydn. "Perhaps here you will learn to be less of a narcissist."

Haydn snorted, glancing at his cousin from under his bear hood. "My dear cousin, have you ever heard of the pot calling the kettle black?"

"At least I know how to behave among strangers," Jain replied calmly. "I will make you a bet, Haydn. If you do not persuade everyone, including Queen Elsa, to hate you in the first week you are here, I will shake your hand. In fact, if you can get Queen Elsa to fall in love with you before the wedding, I give you my best sword."

Haydn smirked. "Oh, you are that confident. But why would I want Queen Elsa in love with me?"

"They say she is very beautiful."

"So was Medusa."

"How about this." Jain leaned closer. "You get the queen to accept a proposal of marriage, and I will I offer you something you can't resist. I'll convince uncle to form a group of hunters to help you hunt raiders in our country."

That gave Hadyn pause. He wasn't fond of this bet, but he'd been trying to his father to approve such a group for years. And he knew his uncle always listened to his pretentious cousin.

"Alright, I'll take you up on that offer." The two men shook hands. "But I warn, I always rise to the occasion when it concerns something I want."

"We shall see."

"Arendelle is in sight!" The shout from the sailor in the crow's nest ceased the two cousins' dialogue and everyone on the ship turned to spy the great city before them.

Haydn finally set his eyes on the city, and crossed his arms as he observed the architecture. This northern architecture was so different than that in his country. Everything looked like ice, made out of light stone. The city of Arendelle was mostly surrounded by water, peering out over the lake. Its towers stood high above the water like guards overlooking their domain.

As the ship prepared to dock, the many guests aboard the ship came above deck. These were, as Lord Jain referred to them, Haydn's competitors. In the fleet of ships surrounding this boat, there were a total of thirty-two princes and kings from all over the world who had come to seek the hand of Queen Elsa of Arendelle. Though, considering the ones he had met on this particular ship, he didn't feel that intimidated.

Most of the princes were like him, forced to come here by parents. Most of them either didn't want to be here, or came here more for the food or to see if the rumors about the queen were true. Had she really frozen her entire kingdom? Did she really have the immense powers rumors contributed to her? Haydn himself was curious about just how powerful she was.

The kings, however, seemed here on a more political motivation. They came to strengthen their kingdoms and, if they married a powerful queen like Elsa, they might gain more power and political influence.

Haydn wasn't so fond of that idea. The idea that a person might become a pawn in a political battle was disgusting to him. It was the reason he had stayed out of the politics in his own country. He preferred to take a more practical hand in ruling the country, traveling to the smaller villages and killing bandits attacking travelers. He left the political bribery and manipulation to his father and cousin.

As the ship docked and everyone moved to get off, Haydn left his cousin to go up to the castle and instead opted to take his horse to its stall. With so many visitors, the palace stables were packed and, considering Haydn's horse could be difficult to handle, he decided to place it in the town stables instead, where there was more room.

Inside the stables, it felt warmer and more comfortable. Haydn figured that he might be spending a lot of time in there just for the warmth. Inside the stall, things were quieter and only the sound of animals could be heard. Brushing down his horse and feeding it, Haydn had a chance to calm his power after the trip. He had used too much of his ability, and now it needed time to regenerate.

Suddenly, he heard the sound of a guitar and singing coming from an adjacent stall. His ears perked to listen to the song.

"Sven, don't you think this is nonsense. These fools run around like they're dense. But I'm glad you're just a reindeer. Cause you raise up my atmosphere."

Haydn sniggered at the hilarious song, and terrible rhyming. Curious, he exited his horse's stall and peeked around into the stall next door. He was surprised, but not too surprised because this was a different part of the world, to see a young man sprawled on the ground next to a reindeer. Haydn let out a cough.

The young man jumped, glanced up at Haydn. "I wasn't doing anything." He climbed to his feet and Haydn was pleased to find that the man reached his height. Maybe there was hope that men in Arendelle were taller.

"I didn't imply you were," Haydn pointed out. "And don't let me interrupt your song. I thought it was…interesting."

The man chortled. "I was only singing because Sven blackmailed me to do it." The reindeer snorted in indignation. The young man cast a guilty look at his pet.

"I get it," Hadyn offered. "My horse is just as demanding."

"Horse? Aren't you one of the visiting princes? Why do you have a horse?"

"Because, if I left him in my home country, everyone would be too afraid to go near and feed him."

"Ouch. Sounds like quite a problem child."

"No, he just has particular tastes in people."

"Mind if I take a look?"

Haydn moved out of his way. "Not at all, but I wouldn't get too near."

The two men walked over to the stall and the young man looked amazed up at the huge horse, his mouth open wide.

"Wow!" He exclaimed. "I've never seen a horse as big as him. What's his name?"

"Shaja'a."

"That's an interesting name."

"It means courage in my native language."

"Courage. I like it." The young man threw out his hand and Haydn took it. "The name's Kristoff."

"Haydn."

"You look like you're from the south."

"South-east, I suppose."

Haydn was nudged in his back by something wet and big. He turned, spotting the reindeer's nose behind him. Sven, that was his name.

"I suppose you want something to eat?" Haydn guessed and the reindeer anxiously nodded his head.

Kristoff chuckled. "I could feed him continuously all the time and I don't think he would ever stop. He'd be the size of a whale."

Ring!

Haydn glanced up. "What's that?"

"That is the bell for dinner."

Sven jumped up and down.

Kristoff shook his head. "No, not for you. Just for the humans. Come on, Prince Haydn, I'm famished."

And with that, Haydn followed his newly found fellow animal lover up to the palace, expecting the devil to greet him at the door. Soon, he was sure, he would lay his eyes on Queen Elsa of Arendelle.


	4. Chapter 4

**Author's Note: Usually I post in the morning, but I kind of...forgot...sorry. It's the same day, though, so I beg all you lovely people to let it go. Anyway, I know this chapter is a bit shorter, but I couldn't figure out what to add that wouldn't be boring. I will be uploading the next chapter on the first Saturday of August (August 1, actually). Let me know what you guys think and I'll see you all in a month!**

 **Four. An Excellent Dinner**

"I don't care what they're going to say."

—Frozen, Elsa

 _Deep breath,_ Elsa told herself, her hands freezing as she felt her stress come and go. She had promised her sister she would endure the guests until after the wedding, and she was going to keep that promise.

She stepped out into the banquet hall, making her way past the guests and to the seat at the head of the table. Her only comfort was that she was surrounded on either side of her by two advisers of her parents, thus enabling her to keep her distance from any of the unfamiliar guests.

On the far side of the table, she could see Anna smiling. Even from far away, Anna was still her silent strength.

Elsa took a deep breath as she reached her seat. She was the queen, and these were her guests.

"Gentlemen, ladies," she announced in a loud voice. "My thanks go out to each one of you for your keenness in helping my sister prepare for her wedding." Her voice was only a bit lined with sarcasm, considering she doubted they were there to help anyone's wedding but their own. "I am certain that you must all be hungry from your journey, so let us eat."

The dinner went by surprisingly quickly, with little to remark. Elsa kept telling herself to take deep breaths, and the food, as always, was delicious. However, the constant sounds of talking soon gave her a headache.

After the dinner had ended, everyone filed into the ballroom for "socializing." Naturally, everyone came by to congratulate Anna—who looked giddy—and Kristoff—who looked a bit strained, but they seemed very quick to move unto Elsa. Soon, she found herself surrounded by princes and kings, all wishing to find themselves in a conversation with her. Finally, she had had enough and excused herself to go to bed early.

Her headache was rapidly turning into a migraine and she was getting exhausted trying to control her power. As she headed up towards her room, Anna intercepted her.

"Elsa, are you leaving so soon?"

"Yes, Anna, I'm sorry. I'm tired."

"That's alright. I can handle them. You look a little pale, actually. Oh, and by the way, have you seen Kristoff recently?"

Elsa shook her head. "No, the last I saw him he was next to you greeting guests."

"I know, but he said he was going to the restroom to throw up the wine—apparently he hates expensive wine. But that was twenty minutes ago and he hasn't come back."

"Did you ask the servants?"

"Of course, but they didn't help much. Some said they saw him heading upstairs. Some said they saw him heading to the garden. I was heading upstairs now to see if he's up there."

"If you like, I could go to the garden. I could use the fresh air."

"Oh, would you? Elsa, I don't know what I'd do without you."

"You'd probably be a bit warmer."

Anna responded by giving her sister a quick hug and peck on the cheek. "You're an angel, Elsa." And off she went, running to find her fiancé.

Elsa smiled and rolled her eyes, heading out the side door to the garden. Luckily, most of the guests had either stayed inside or were near the very front of the garden, so Elsa easily avoided them and made her way to the outside. Kristoff, however, was nowhere in sight. Perhaps he had gone down to the town stables to visit Sven.

She signed as she reached the edge of the garden, in which sat a balcony overlooking the lake. Staring out onto that lake, she remembered the day that had changed her life. The day she had learned out to reverse her powers by melting her sister. The act of true love.

"Gorgeous view, isn't it?"

Elsa turned, spotting one of the many princes leaning against a hedge several feet behind her. She didn't recall his name, but he looked like he was from down south. Tanned skin, black sleek hair, and a smirk made Elsa dislike him already, but she told herself to be civil.

"It is," Elsa commented abstractly. "Do you like snow?"

The prince came forward to stand on the balcony next to her, surveying the mountains across the river. "Not really, it's quite…cold."

"And lonely, but then again it has so much power in it."

"Ah, but in great power there is also great weakness."

Elsa crossed her arms. "Are you a prophet then?"

"I prefer to call myself a cynic."

"A cynic of what?"

The prince spread his arms. "The world, I suppose, but mostly the people occupying the world. People have such potential to weakness."

Elsa smiled, mimicking his words. "Ah, but in weakness there can also be found strength."

The prince snorted. "I see you are an optimist, your majesty."

"No, I like to think I see reality, that there is both good and bad in this world."

"Hmm, you strike me as somewhat of a melancholy. Hiding your emotions away from the world."

Elsa felt annoyed. She didn't even know this prince's name, and yet it appeared like he had figured her out already. "And you, sir, strike me as someone who always believes he's right. The type of person under the arrogant assumption that you are infallible."

"Aren't I?"

She rolled her eyes. Now she disliked him even more. "And that is your weakness. Pride has always been a downfall of powerful kings. Now, excuse me."

Bowing her head, Elsa walked away. Kristoff clearly wasn't in the garden, which meant she could head upstairs. If she spent any more time with this prince, she would start to get angry. And she still wasn't sure how much she could control her power when she was angry.

As she walked away, she clenched her fists, ice unconsciously surrounding her hand. She shook it off and headed inside the servants' way, hoping she wouldn't run into any more unpleasant princes.


	5. Chapter 5

**Author's Note: Thanks, dear readers, for being patient. This is the first Saturday of the month, so I'm uploading today-the next one will be going up Sep. 5. Anyway, I will start uploading more frequently once I finish writing my other Peter Pan fanfiction, but for now Thawed is only going to be updated once a month. Let me know what you guys think about this chapter and thanks for all the great reviews.**

 **Five. Books**

"Oh, my sore eyes can't wait to see the Queen and the Princess. I bet they're absolutely lovely."

—Frozen, Irishman

She had less control over her power than he had assumed she had. He had seen the ice form in her clenched fist. He had seen how angry she became by his simple comment. Yes, he had been arrogant, but he had assumed she would not be so easily moved. He had been wrong.

Haydn lay in bed, listening to the bustling town come alive below him and the other guests rustle about outside his door. He knew it was late in the morning and he should have gotten up an hour ago, but he didn't feel like it. His bed was warm. Outside…not so much. Besides, he liked to ruminate once in a while.

He tapped his fingers gently on his coverlet. Perhaps he had been a bit cruel the previous night. He hadn't intended to insult the queen, and yet he wanted to see her reactions depending on his words. No, he hadn't been testing her. Or had he?

It was time to get up. Haydn shook his head and climbed out of the bed. He quickly dressed, not bothering to call a servant, and headed towards his cousin's room. Not that he was planning to confide anything to Jain, but he wasn't in the mood to eat breakfast along. As he reached his cousin's door, Jain's manservant appeared in his way.

"Is he awake?" Haydn questioned.

The servant blushed slightly. "Uh…yes, that is to say…no. I mean, he's awake, but…"

"I'll take that to assume he is busy in there with his latest conquest."

"Shall I go disturb…"

"No, no, never mind. It wasn't that important either. There's plenty of time to talk with him anyway. Just take care Suleika doesn't find out about the affair. Oh, and don't tell him I was here."

Haydn sauntered away, shaking his head. His cousin may have been politically savvy, but it was a pity he usually used his ability to influence people to get the most beautiful women in his bed. He almost felt sorry for the girl, knowing that Jain would simply throw her aside for another pretty face. He wondered why Suleika—Jain's fiancé back home—had agreed to marry him knowing his reputation. That girl sure seemed to be in complete denial.

After dropping by the kitchen to steal some food, he asked a servant for directions and then headed towards the library. He was curious about the history of Arendelle, and if this power Elsa possessed ran in the family.

Luckily, the library was huge and easy to find. Picking out several books that seemed interesting, he curling up in a chair and started reading. Luckily, everyone seemed too busy having breakfast, socializing, or sleeping to spend time in the library, making it a good place for peace and quiet.

He soon found an interesting article about the previous king and queen. Apparently, they were killed while at sea and their bodies were never found. Luckily, the article mentioned the queen's coronation as well, where she apparently—according to witnesses—sent ice shards flying at guests.

"A bit of a drama queen, isn't she?" Haydn voiced out loud.

"Get out then!"

Haydn glanced up in surprise to see Queen Elsa approaching him with her arms crossed and her eyes on fire. She looked furious.

"If you think so little of me, and if you hate snow so much, why don't you just leave and go back to wherever you came from!" It sounded like she was trying to keep her voice even but was failing miserably. "Why do you and all the other princes and kings think they can just come into my home and say anything they want about it? If you think I'm such a monster, why do you spend one more minute in my castle when you could be doing something much more pleasant?"

Haydn closed the book and stood up. "Your majesty, I didn't mean—"

"Oh, you mean if you knew I was here then you wouldn't have said it? Because you, like everyone else here, wants something from me, whether it be power or title. Well, I'm sick of it! I've just endured a horrific morning where no one has cared what I had to say, where everyone whispers behind my back about how much of a monster I am—"

"I never said you were a monster!" Haydn's voice rose a bit more than he consciously meant for it to. "Trust me, I know everything you are going through. I went through it as well. I—"

Elsa again interrupted him. "You know nothing."

"Elsa?"

Both of them turned as the queen's younger sister, Anna, entered the room. Haydn saw little similarities between the two princesses, besides the fact that they were both pretty in their own way. But Anna was much more bouncy than her older sister, and their looks as well were different, as Anna possessed reddish brown hair and Elsa's was nearly white.

Anne hurried in, looking between the two. "Is everything alright?"

Elsa shook her head. "What is it, Anna?"

"Oh, one of the servants accidentally fell into one of the ice sculptures you made this morning. They kind of broke off the arm of one of the figures. I was wondering if you could—"

"Oh, yes, of course. I'll come immediately." Glaring back at Haydn for a moment, Elsa turned and left the room.

Haydn rolled his eyes and ran his fingers through his hair. Damn, why did he have to snap back at her? Suddenly, he realized that the younger princess hadn't left, and was standing looking at his expectantly.

"What?" He asked.

Anna grinned. "Oh, I was just thinking how I haven't seen Elsa show so much emotion around someone." She thrust out her hand. "I'm Anna, by the way."

Haydn smiled down at the small girl. He wasn't sure why, but he liked this girl. She reminded him of a tiny, yippy puppy. He took her hand firmly. "Haydn."

"Are you one of the princes?"

"Hmm, I am. Prince and heir to Hariq."

"Is it cold there?"

"No, in fact, it's mostly desert."

"Desert? Wow, I've never seen the desert. What's it like? I bet it's hot. It would be hot, of course, it's the desert. But I've always wanted to sunbathe. It must be so much fun. I bet Olaf would love it. Maybe I can convince Kristoff to go there for our honeymoon."

Haydn let out a laugh. "You know, you aren't much like your sister."

"Don't worry, Elsa will get used to you. She's just had a rough morning. She gets cranky when she's stressed. Oh, I'd better see if she needs any help with the sculpture. I'll see you later."

With that, she bounded off, leaving Haydn alone to shake his head, amused. Almost immediately, though, he grimaced, remembering his cousin's words: _If you do not persuade everyone, including Queen Elsa, to hate you in the first week you are here, I will shake your hand_. And what had he done but gotten her to hate him in the first day. At least her sister seemed to like him: that was a start.

Haydn took a deep breath. "Just act like Jain. Everybody likes him."

With that, he headed out to impress the queen.


	6. Chapter 6

**Author's note: Guys, I know I'm two days late (please don't kill me). Honestly, I had this chapter written weeks ago, but this weekend (being Labor Day Weekend) has been so busy, posting this completely slipped my mind. It's my fault and next month, I will try my hardest to be on time. In this chapter, the games truly begin. As usual, let me know what you guys think and I'll see you all in October. Have a great week!**

 **6\. Fire and Ice**

"Is there sorcery in you too? Are you a monster too?"

—Frozen, Duke

Elsa took a deep breath, going over in her head all the things she had to do. Freeze the pond for skaters, figure out the menu for dinner, and choose a theme for the wedding all while having to avoid all the guests. It was exhausting just thinking about it.

It had been three days since the guests had begun to arrive. She felt so worn out that she might fall over on her nose any moment. While it helped to keep telling herself she was doing this for Anna, it didn't make the experience any less painful.

Oh, she'd forgot about fixing yet another one of the ice sculptures. This one was apparently destroyed by one of the princes playing cricket. Stupid princes. Luckily, it was early in the morning and no one but the servants and herself were up this early. Making her way to the small courtyard behind the palace, Elsa found the shattered sculpture. Poor thing, it was one of her favorites too.

Elsa set to work shaping a new sculpture, ice spinning out of her fingers. She had started to love making sculptures. It was the best way, she found, to relieve stress and make sure her power didn't get to unruly. It took her only minutes before a ten-foot-tall sculpture of a horse stood before her. Satisfied, she let her hands drop.

Clap! Clap!

She turned in surprise at the sharp sound in the silent garden, only to see the last person she wanted to see applauding her. It was that prince again. She had been lucky to avoid him for the last two days, but it seemed as if her luck had finally run out. Crossing her arm, she watched as he approached.

"I must say, I am impressed. It's a wonderful talent."

She bit her lip, remaining silent. She knew if she opened her mouth, she would snap at him again. And she was tired of snapping.

Luckily, he continued, "Look, I apologize about the other day. I wasn't the politest of fellows, was I? But I meant what I said."

"About what?"

"That I know what you're going through. My grandfather, you see, possessed the power of fire, similar to your ice."

Elsa paused, wondering if he was telling the truth or just trying to get on her good side. "Really?" Her tone was cynical.

The prince continued, undeterred. "He was considered the black sheep of the family. When my father didn't inherit his power, the royal family was thrilled. My grandfather died before my great-grandfather, and thus he never possessed the throne. I wonder, though, if he had lived, would he have been disinherited."

The prince moved to stand next to her, staring up at the horse sculpture she had just finished.

"Do you know, my father always hated his father. And I never forgave him for that. And he never forgave me for taking after him."

"Your father?"

"My grandfather."

"You take after your grandfather?" Elsa paused.

"You know, something is missing." He was still looking up at the statue. After a moment, he held out his hand.

Elsa watched in astonishment as fire shot out of his palm, flying to suspend above her sculpture and then slowly shape into a fiery horseman. A fiery horseman riding a gallant steed. It stood mere centimeters away from the ice, but it didn't appear to melt it.

Finally, the prince turned to look at Elsa. He reached his hand out. "Hadyn, if you wondered."

Turning from the incredible sculpture to the man before her, Elsa felt at a loss for words. This man…this man was like her. Well, not exactly. But his power meant she was not alone. That there might be other people like her out there, with powers like hers.

Finally, she realized he had said something. "What?"

"My name. It's Hadyn. And I have a feeling we'll be seeing each other a lot, your majesty."

Smirking, he turned away and headed down the path, not looking back.

Elsa crossed her arms. What had just happened? She turned back to the stature, just as the flames melted away into the cold air.

She looked back after him.

"Wait!" Breaking into a trot, she caught up with his wide strides in front of the back door. Grabbing his arm, she turned him to look at her. "You possess the power of fire? Like your grandfather."

Hadyn bowed his head. "I thought that was obvious. But indeed I do, a fault my father reminds me frequently of. That was the reason I came here. Because I heard you had powers too."

"So," she paused. "Do you know anyone else like us? Who have powers like ours?"

He shrugged. "I knew one king from the west who could control plants. But he died nearly ten years ago. So, for now, I guess you and me are the only ones. At least, the only ones who don't hide it. Or were found out, in your case. Did you seriously think you could hide a power like yours forever?"

Elsa blushed, more from anger than embarrassment. "And I'm glad I did. I can't imagine what it would have been like to have all these invaders come into my home unwelcome when I was a child. I did what was best with the knowledge I had, which is what I will always do."

"Are you taking offense again?"

"Sir, I am a queen. It is my prerogative to take offense at everything. You and I may share in common a power, but I see little else that we have in common. If you are telling the truth and the only reason you came was because you were curious about my powers, then your motivation is complete. You have seen my powers and now you can go."

Elsa turned to leave.

"I never said that was the only reason I came."

She paused at his words, but didn't turn. "What other reason do you have then?"

"Will you marry me?"

Elsa turned in horror to him. "Are you mad?"

"What? You asked me for the other reason, and there it is. I plan to marry you, and I don't intend to leave this palace until I do."

She crossed her arms. "Then you will be here until you die, for I would never marry you."

"We'll see."

"What makes you think I would be more likely to marry you than all the rest of those princes and kings here?"

"Because I've got something they don't." He raised his hand and a flame flickered above his palm. "You see, I've already caught your attention."

Huffing, Elsa turned and stomped away.


	7. Chapter 7

**Author's Note: Hi, guys. Thank you for your patience in getting another chapter out. Trust me, I wish I could write this story more often, but with my Peter Pan fanfiction and school, I just don't have enough time. But at least I'm uploading on a schedule, even though it's monthly. Anyway, this chapter gets a little away from Elsa/Hadyn and to other things that are prominent to the later plot. I don't have much to say, except enjoy and let me know what you think. See you Nov. 7 with chapter 8!**

 **7\. Shadow of a Doubt**

"All men do it."

—Frozen, Kristoff

"Princess, the tables need to be precisely situated in the reception hall, and you need to carefully think about the place settings and who will sit where."

Anna rolled her eyes as the steward pestered her with things to do. She had other things to prioritize, without having to worry about place settings. Like finding Elsa someone she could love as much as Anna loved Kristoff. Waving her hand, she dismissed the man with the words, "You're the steward, decide for yourself. I'm sure you can figure it out."

Turning away, she got two feet before a big puff of hair moved in her way. Anna glanced down to see a poodle standing before her. No, that wasn't right, this thing was definitely human. It just looked a bit like a poodle. But no, it was a girl. The nose was too small to be a poodle. The lady was probably not much older than Elsa, but she was so powdered and primped that it was hard to tell. Being so close to her, Anna sneezed at the smell of all the powder on her face. Plus, the huge, corseted fuchsia dress hurt her eyes to look at.

"Pardon," Anna muttered, trying to move around the girl while stifling more sneezes.

As she moved, the girl grabbed her arm. "Princess Anna," the girl started in a nasally, hoarse voice. "I am Lady Gabbri Trully South. Perhaps you've heard of me."

Anna shook her head slowly.

"No? Oh, I am surprised to hear that. I happen to be one of the best wedding planners in the south. The moment I heard of your need, I dropped my vast amount of work to come here, to aid you in your distress."

Blinking twice, Anna tried to stifle a laugh. This doll looked so strange, and her old woman's voice was even weirder. What was she supposed to make of this? "Um, actually, we've got everything covered. My sister Elsa is helping and—"

"Oh, you mean the ice queen?" Lady Gabbri leaned forward, lowering her voice. "Isn't it scary living with her? I mean, knowing at any moment she might kill you?"

Anna wretched her sleeve out of Gabbri's grasp, crossing her arms. "For your information, my sister is the best person I know. She'd never hurt anyone!"

"That's not what I heard. But oh, well, if you're willing to take the risk. I know I wouldn't. I mean, what would the world do without me? Anyway, you may not think you need my help, but trust me, you do. First, I'll start with changing the theme. I heard you want the theme to be ice."

While Anna _really_ didn't want anything to do with the pompous twit, she didn't want to be rude either. "Yes, our country's main income comes from the manufacturing of ice. So it seems a perfect theme."

"Nonsense, it's so not vogue. Instead, we should do something else, like roses and chocolates. What do you say? It's classic, never gets old, and perfect for all kinds of weather. I mean, I personally love beach theme, but you don't really have a beach, do you?"

"I like the theme of ice."

The unexpected male voice made Anna and Gabbri turned in unison. Prince Hadyn sauntered towards them, looking just the way he'd done when Anna had seen him last in the library. Really, she liked him. Not in a romantic way, or anything, but she kept wishing Elsa might like him. She couldn't help but smile when she saw him.

Gabbri, on the other hand, gasped. "Hadyn, is that you?"

Hadyn continued, "Look what the cat dragged in. Hello, poodle girl whose name I never remember. I see you kept the hair…probably not the best choice." He glanced at Anna, his dark eyes sparkling. "This puppy bothering you? Because I'd be happy to remove her."

Anna's grin widened, although Gabbri looked aghast. Shaking her head, Anna stated, "Thank you, Prince Hadyn, but I think I can handle her. Oh, and by the way, Elsa is organizing a riding party tomorrow. You will come, won't you?"

Hadyn shrugged. "As long as a certain someone doesn't throw ice shards at me."

Anna laughed. "I promise, Elsa will get to like you."

Smiling, the southern prince bowed and strutted away.

"Hadyn!" Gabbri exclaimed. "Come back!" When he didn't turn, she rounded on Anna. "Oh, I had no idea he was here."

"You know him?" Anna asked, curious to know more about this mysterious man.

Gabbri nodded quickly, apparently unaware that said prince had just insulted her. Unless she liked being called a poodle. "Of course I know him. He's prince and heir of Hariq. I mean, that's one of the wealthiest kingdoms in the world. But I've never seen him out of his country. Whatever could he be doing here? But, anyway, isn't he handsome?"

Anna tilted her head. She wondered why he was here too. Did he also come to try to marry her sister? It didn't seem like it. After all, he didn't seem to be like the other groveling princes surrounding her.

"Oh, speaking of your fiancé," which they hadn't been.

Anna turned to find Kristoff. When she spotted him, her heart sank.

Kristoff stood far down the hall with the most beautiful woman she had ever seen clinging to his arm. The woman's long, ebony hair shone in the sunlight and her figure was perfect accented with a tight, mermaid gown. Kristoff was smiling. Anna blinked twice. She must be seeing things.

"Oh, there's Princess Bao. I didn't know she was coming. Anyway, I must get going with the theme. Was that your steward earlier? I'll have to go find him. That, or see if I can catch up to Hadyn. Oh, Hadyn!" Gabbri trotted away.

Anna bit her lip as Kristoff and the princess moved down a side hallway and vanished. He hadn't even seen Anna, and yet she had been less than twenty yards away. She shook her head. _I was just seeing things, wasn't I?_ She told herself, her heart feeling heavy.

But Kristoff didn't pay any attention to girls. He never had. And to walk smiling with one on his arm? Impossible.

"Anna?"

Anna turned to see Elsa approaching. In her hand, Elsa held a writing pad with a quill. She looked tired.

"I've been looking for you. I'm planning the ride tomorrow and I'm wondering what kind of food we should bring for the picnic."

Shaking her head, Anna gulped down her tears and jealously. "Whatever you prefer. I'm tired…I think I'll go rest in my room."

Turning, she left her sister standing alone in the hallway.


	8. Chapter 8

**Author's Note: I'm a little late, but at least I'm on the right day (first Saturday of the month). However, I do have some good news. The reason I'm only uploading this once a month is because I have a Peter Pan fanfiction that I'm focusing on. Luckily, it's almost done so next month (that is, December), I will start uploading this story once a week. As always, let me know what you guys think about this chapter and see you all next month.**

 **8\. Horses and Cuts**

"A kingdom of isolation and it looks like I'm the queen."

—Elsa

Hadyn tapped his fingers against the saddle impatiently, his eyes focused on Queen Elsa who stood pacing several yards away.

"We could just leave without her," he commented loudly.

Elsa sent a glare in his direction.

He had been here in Arendelle for a week. In that week, he had learned far more than he ever wanted to about various princes and kings around the land. He had grown fond of the optimistic and talkative bride-to-be, and had spent many hours debating proper saddles with the groom-to-be. That, and he spend many hours avoiding the always insane Lady Gabbri—seriously, how did the guards even allow that mess into the city. However, the one thing he had had little time to do since that day in the garden when he'd shown his powers was to spend more time with Elsa. If she had avoided him before that day, she now avoided him twice as much, going so far as to literally run away from him on several occasions.

However, now she couldn't run. She was stuck in his presence all day, whether she liked it or not. That is because this day was the picnic party she had organized and, thanks to her sister's invitation, he had been able to come along. The plan was to head up to a scenic waterfall some way from the city and have a picnic there. Few of the princes had been invited, giving Hadyn even more opportunity to be around Elsa.

However, at the moment the small group was waiting for Anna.

Kristoff was nervously patting a horse Elsa had provided him with. Glancing towards Hadyn, he commented, "I could have just brought Sven. He's just as fast as any horse."

Hadyn smiled. He loved his own horse, he did, but in the week he had known this ice cutter, he was astonished by his close friendship with a reindeer. "It probably wouldn't be a good idea," Hadyn commented. "He'd just eat all the food and we'd starve."

"You have a point." Kristoff snorted and Hadyn let out a light laugh.

Elsa glanced at them, glaring.

"She seems to be in a bad mood today," Hadyn pointed out. "I mean, more than usual."

Kristoff shrugged. Raising his voice, he addressed his soon-to-be sister-in-law. "Hey, Elsa. You okay?"

Elsa shook her head. "No, I'm worried about Anna."

"Why?" Kristoff asked.

She glanced at Hadyn, clearly not wanting to answer the question when he was there. That, and several other dignitaries. "She just seems a bit temperamental."

"Maybe you're wearing on her," Hadyn remarked under his breath.

Elsa took a deep breath, flashing a cold glance in Hadyn's direction.

"No, I noticed it too," Kristoff agreed, his face grimacing. "I tried to talk to her last night at dinner and she completely ignored me."

"Bonjour, compatriots!"

Everyone turned towards the courtyard stairs, watching as a bright poodle descended the steps, followed by one of the servants from the palace.

"Oh, great. Who invited her?" Hadyn asked.

Gabbri—the said poodle—sauntered over to Elsa in her cherry dress and hair filled with color blossoms. She was like a walking flower garden, minus the green stems.

"Your majesty." Gabbri curtsied politely to the queen, but then rose and looked her up and down scornfully. "I was just in a meeting with your sister. She said to not wait for her. Something about being tired."

Hadyn watched Elsa's reaction. Her eyes widened in surprise but then quickly squinted, as if she was trying to decide whether she should trust the woman or not. She glanced over at the servant behind Gabbri, who nodded. Gazing up at the castle as if hoping she might catch sight of her sister, Elsa finally bowed her head.

"Thank you."

"Maybe I should go check on her," Kristoff said absently, gazing towards the castle.

Elsa glanced towards Kristoff. "No, I trust she will be well. Anyway, we are quite late." Turning, she climbed on her horse.

"Hadyn!" Gabbri waved towards him.

Rolling his eyes, Hadyn climbed on his steep before Gabbri could reach him.

The party set out on the expedition. There were a total of sixteen people, dignitaries from Arendelle and other countries. Most of the people, however, were people not seeking Elsa's hand. In fact, he was the only one, and that was because both Kristoff and Anna had liked the idea of his tagging along. He wasn't going to complain.

As the party traveled, Hadyn pulled his horse in a pace beside the ice queen herself.

Elsa ignored him, but at least she didn't run away this time.

"Are you going to ignore me forever?"

"Are you going to give up on your absurd proposal?" Elsa retorted sharply.

"I don't do anything halfway."

Elsa looked at him. "Prince Hadyn, can you honestly answer me one question?"

He smiled. "Maybe. I'll answer it, but…" he winked, "I can't promise to be truthful."

"Why would you think I'd _ever_ be interested in marrying you?"

Hadyn shrugged. "Well, if you look logically, my country is very powerful. If you married me, you'd have protection from the most powerful nation on this planet."

"I have the power of snow. I don't think I need more power than that."

"Well, I'm also handsome and young."

"Frankly, a certain prince named Hans has taught me that looks are never a presentation of one's character."

"And I'm not afraid of you. Also, I'm probably the one person on the planet who knows what you're going through."

Elsa glanced at him. "Do you? You think simply because you can create fire that you know me? How about this? Honestly, I don't believe you. All the rubbish about you being curious about me doesn't have anything to do with marrying me. You have some reason for marrying me that you aren't telling. As you pointed out, you have no reason to want my power because you have enough of that yourself. And you don't seem like a person easily swayed by orders from authority, so the idea that your father forced you to court me doesn't seem plausible. So, I've been thinking about it and my best conclusion is that this is some sort of game to you. I am a prize to be won, aren't I? Perhaps you even made a bet with someone to win me."

For a moment Hadyn couldn't find words. She might have been locked up in that castle for years, but she was no fool. He doubted Jain had told of their bet, but it didn't seem she could figure it out by other means.

Finally, his smiled. "You've been thinking about me?"

Elsa gripped the reins of her horse, scrunching her face and taking a deep breath. "Do you have selective hearing?"

Hadyn smirked. "Always."

Just then, Gabbri pulled up beside Hadyn's horse and loudly interrupt their conversation. Elsa didn't seem to mind, and Hadyn could do nothing but restrain himself from strangling the puddle. His plans were not getting anywhere.

Maybe it was time to change tactics?


	9. Chapter 9

**Author's Note: I have great news! I have only two chapters left of the other fanfiction I'm working on, so at the beginning of next year (a.k.a., next month in January) I will be uploading this story every Saturday. So yeah! Again, thanks for all the great comments and let me know what you think of this chapter.**

 **9\. A Stroll**

"Conceal. Don't Feel. Put on a show. Make one wrong move and everyone will know."

—Frozen, Elsa

Elsa had found her way away from the pick-nick party and headed up a path. It ended in a small pond, usually frozen over in the winter. Today, though, it was warm enough that there was only a thin layer of ice on the pond.

Settling herself on a rock, she closed her eyes for some peace. She was sure Kristoff could handle the guests and she wanted a moment where no servant or noble would bother her. She hadn't, however, walked far enough.

"Wow, what a beautiful scene."

Elsa opened her eyes to spot Hadyn coming up the path behind her. Out of all the people in the party, he was the worst. Hadn't she made it clear earlier that she was not going to play his silly little game? And yet he still wasn't deterred.

Hadyn came to stand beside her, watching the sunlight sparkle on the thin ice.

"What are you doing here?" Elsa demanded, not bothering to be polite. "If you were following me, I beg you to stop. I'm stressed out enough as it is without you."

The desert prince snorted and sat on the rock a short distance from her. "I wasn't exactly following you. I was just curious about what was up this path. I can't say I'm fond of snow, but even I'll admit it has a certain sense of beauty. Do you come here often?"

Elsa glanced at him, wondering whether he was serious or not in using an obvious pick-up line. "Yes, I suppose I do. At least, recently I have. When I was younger, I never spent time outside. But now it's the only place that's truly peaceful. Plus, I like the cold."

"Well, you would. It's your element. I imagine it feels the same way that taking a trip into a volcano feels for me."

She snorted. "You've walked into a volcano before?"

Hadyn glanced at her, surprise on his face. He probably was surprised she was smiling. Immediately, Elsa grimaced. Hadyn turned away. Finally, he commented, "You know, you're pretty when you smile. You should do it more often."

Elsa turned back to the pond and crossed her arms, but not because of the cold. "I smile a lot. It just doesn't happen to be around you."

"Ouch!" Hadyn acted as if his heart had been stabbed. "You wound me, your majesty. I'm not stoic, you know."

"You seem to be. I have done nothing but insult and abhor you since our first encounter, and yet you will not leave me alone. What can I do to persuade you?"

Hadyn shrugged. "I've always been stubborn. Besides, you haven't treated me that bad. I'm used to people either trying to kill me or slobbering all over my shoes. It's nice to see someone treat me like a person for once. Also, you take everything so seriously that it is hilarious to watch."

"I'm glad I amuse you." Elsa held in the urge to throw ice at him as she felt ice form in her fists.

"Also," Hadyn continued, seemingly oblivious of her anger. "You seem like a spoiled little puppy who has had everything her way. You can't handle stress. Frankly, you can't handle life. You prefer to hide away in your little room until you burst. You—"

"Stop it!" Elsa rose, furious. Ice clawed at her fingertips. "How dare you! Whatever your personality, you are my guest! A proper prince would not speak in such a way to a queen!"

"Well, maybe you should start acting like a queen and I might start treating you like one."

Elsa shrieked and held out her hands before she could think. Ice shot out of her palms and flew towards Hadyn. Instead of moving, he simply raised his hand as a flame wall enveloped the ice, leaving only water droplets to fall to the ground.

She gasped at what she has done. Whether she was angry or not, how could she let her powers get out of control? She thought she was getting better, and yet she wasn't. Elsa stared down at her hands as ice surrounded them. She tried to force the ice away, panicked, but nothing happened.

Suddenly, Hadyn came into her vision to stand in front of her, slowing taking her shaking hands in his burning ones.

The air sizzled around them as ice and fire transformed into a soft rain of water. Elsa felt a strange force surround her in a way she'd never felt before. She glanced up at his red eyes, which were watching her.

Finally, Hadyn stepped back, taking his hands away. The moment he stopped touching her, the force vanished, leaving Elsa is shock. She wondered if he had felt it. Elsa stared down at her hands. Though slightly wet, all sign of ice was gone. She turned to look at Hadyn. He looked grim, serious.

"Your majesty," He bowed his head. "My apologies."

Elsa let her hands drop. "Your apologies? You probably wanted to get me angry to see what I'd do. To prove that I'm the monster that everyone thinks I am. Well, you have your proof. I am a monster. I hurt everyone around me. My power almost killed the most precious person in my life. It almost destroyed my country."

Hadyn laughed.

Elsa glared at him. Was he even taking her seriously? Could he still be amused?

He held up his hands in surrender. "I'm sorry, I'm sorry. You're right. I was baiting you, but I didn't mean to upset you. You are no more a monster than I. Maybe that's not very comforting. But maybe you need to think about learning how to calm yourself. Have you ever considered meditation?"

Elsa was shocked he could be so calm.

Hadyn raised his palm to the heavens and a small flame swayed in the air. "You want to control your power. It's not possible. I learned that pretty quickly. Power can't be controlled and anyone who thinks otherwise is just kidding themselves. Power can only be understood if we find the peace to accept that it cannot be controlled."

She stared at him in surprise. These words were ones of a wise sage, not an arrogant prince.

"That's what my grandfather told me once. I was six when he died, and yet I remember every word he told me. Maybe you might find them useful."

"Why would you be sharing this information with me?" Elsa's voice sounded hoarse when she finally spoke.

"Why wouldn't I? I have no reason to not share anything with you. That is your problem. You think everyone has to have an agenda. How about this: I can teach you some types of meditation. Oh, and before you ask, no, I'm not doing it to get on your better side. I'm doing it because I'm curious to learn more about your powers. How about we do this? When we are practicing together, I will not try to woo you."

Elsa crossed her arms. "Why would I do that?"

Hadyn took a step closer. "Because I know you felt it. Our powers, together, change. It should be interesting how we can help each other's power.

Elsa didn't want to agree with him, but she did feel the force. Something she didn't understand. "I still don't like you, but I suppose it won't hurt. The first time you try anything, though, I'll avoid you again."

Hadyn bowed his head. "Sounds like deal. Now, will we join the others?"

"I suppose. Back into the lion's jaws."

"Don't look at it that way, your majesty. Look at it as if you are the lion and they the sheep."

Elsa didn't bother to laugh.


	10. Chapter 10

**Author's note: Hello, guys, and thank you so much for your exceptional patience in the last few months when I've only been updating this story once a month. However, starting this week, I will be uploading it every Saturday. As for this chapter, I added this chapter because of how important the sisters' relationship is for the plot; something that I haven't had that much of since Chapter 2. However, it's also important to the plot. Let me know what all you lovely readers (that isn't creepy at all...) think and I will see you all next week!**

 **10\. Icicles**

"The sky's awake, so I'm awake, so we have to play."

– Frozen, Anna

The next morning, Elsa tapped on Anna's door worriedly. Anna had refused to come out of her room yesterday, whether it was for the riding party or dinner. Elsa had been so tired she had let it go, but again this morning Anna had decided to take her breakfast in her chambers.

"Anna?" Elsa called after a moment of silence. "I know you are in there, and I am not going to leave until you come out."

Nothing. Elsa clenched her fists. She wasn't angry at her sister, just annoyed. Anna was always so honest, even to the point of blurting out things she shouldn't. So to hide herself away from everyone in her room was more like something, well, Elsa herself would do.

Elsa sighed and took a deep breath. Finally, she sung softly, "Do you want to build a snowman?"

No response.

"Anna, I know you're in there. People are asking where you've been. I'm right out here for you. Just let me in." Elsa's voice cracked at last words of the song, and gave up singing. "Please, Anna, tell me what's wrong? Please don't leave me in the dark."

Anna's door creaked open enough for Elsa to enter. Before Anna could shut the door, she hurried in. The door shut behind her.

When she turned to shut the door, Elsa finally spotted her sister. Anna looked like a mess…well, more than usual. Her hair was everywhere. Her eyes were blotchy and red, looking as if she'd been crying all night. She wore the dress she wore the day before, which was now all wrinkled and tear-stained.

Elsa went to her sister and dried Anna's eyes her hands. "Anna, darling, tell me what's wrong! Oh, how could I be so selfish? I should've visited you sooner. What is the matter? Here, let us sit on the bed."

The two sisters walked over to the bed and sat down. Elsa ignored the drenched handkerchiefs adorning the coverlet and perched on one clean spot.

Anna grabbed a dirty handkerchief and blew her nose. "Oh, Elsa, I think I'm losing my mind."

Elsa smiled. "Aren't we all?" She waited, knowing whatever was bothering her sister would come flooding out of her lips in a moment.

It did.

"Oh, Elsa," Anna began. "You don't know how terrible it is to be locked in my room with such terrible thoughts. Do you think Kristoff loves me? Because I always thought he did, but now I'm not sure. He's always with Princess Bao now and he barely talks to me anymore. In fact, it almost feels as if he's avoiding me."

"Funny, he said the same thing about you," Elsa commented when her sister took a breath, though Anna apparently didn't hear because she continued on.

"But now I think perhaps it's all in my head. I don't know why I've been in here so long. I'm just afraid to come out. I have so much to do out there. I have the florists and decorators and guests to deal with, and you have no idea how nightmarish Lady Gabbri is to handle. At least she is frightened of you so she doesn't bother you, but she bothers me constantly. Even when I think I've avoided her, she just pops up with her big hair puff right in my face and tells me what I should do. It's so tiring! And Lord Jain…do you know Lord Jain? He's Hadyn's cousin. Not quite as funny, but he seems nice. Anyway, Lord Jain said that most men lie when it's convenient for them. Do you think Kristoff is lying? I mean, he's never lied before. At least, not that I know of."

"Anna, stop!" Elsa put her hands on her younger sister's shoulders. "You are talking like how I think all the time. This worrying about everything isn't like you. You're only stressed out because of the wedding. I see I am partially at fault."

Anne shook her head, looking like she was going to disagree, but Elsa continued before she could.

"I've been leaving you to do too much of the work. Well, after today you shall do nothing. Leave everything to me. And don't worry, Kristoff loves you. I've never seen someone love someone else as much as he loves you. It's just he's not particularly romantic, that's all."

Anna blinked and wiped her snotty nose. "You think?"

"I know. Now, let us get you up and dressed and then we shall go out and play!"

"Play?"

Elsa pulled her sister up and began to help her dress and, more importantly, brush her unruly hair. "Yes, play! Didn't you hear me outside the door? Do you want to build a snowman?"

Anna laughed as she shoved her head into the dress Elsa had found for her. "Just like we were children, right? Oh, do you think Olaf can join us!"

Elsa shrugged. "I wouldn't know. Isn't he still on his vacation to Hawaii?"

Several weeks before plans began for the wedding, Olaf—the eccentric snowman with dreams of finding warm summer—had decided to travel across the globe to Hawaii. No one had decided to deter him, though Elsa had made certain she knew how to reassemble him in case he, well, melted.

"Yes, and how do you think that went?" Anna asked?

Elsa nodded. "Perhaps I should recreate him, shouldn't I? He's probably currently a puddle with a carrot sticking of it on the beach."

Both girls laughed.

Within twenty minutes, they had found a private spot in the garden and, thanks to Elsa's ability they were playing in the snow and ice as snow rained down on only them. Elsa forgot her worries and simply focused on her sister. Anna, whose face's blotchiness had dissipated into the air, looked happy. Olaf was easy to recreate, though he did state that he didn't make it to Hawaii, having melted on the boat. However, understanding how much the girls had missed him, he decided to stay.

Everything seemed perfect and happy again.

And yet, there was something wrong. It seemed strange that Anna should have such a strong reaction to Kristoff spending time with someone else. Elsa worried that Han's betrayal of Anna had hurt her trust of men and their integrity. Elsa knew it had hurt hers. And yet she had never seen Anna show indications of her hurt until now.

Elsa could only bite her lip and hope that she was right that Kristoff would never hurt her sister. Because if anyone hurt Anna ever again, she was going to freeze their cold hearts with ice.


	11. Chapter 11

**Author's Note: Again, thanks for all the great reviews. This chapter is supposed to parallel Elsa's chapter 10, but going into Hadyn's head instead. For those who are hoping for more Hadyn and Elsa scenes, I promise that they will return in the next chapter. As always let me know what you think as the mystery begins and I will see you all next week!**

 **11\. Animal Talk**

"But you'll never meet a fella who's as sensitive and sweet."

– Frozen, Trolls

Hadyn watched out of his bedroom window, staring down at the garden far below him. His hands clenched against the frozen casement, his eyes focused on Elsa far below him. She and her sister were in the back of the garden, surrounded by snow as they played. Elsa was smiling. Genuinely smiling. She didn't do that around him.

He closed the window and pulled the curtain to obscure his view, feeling frustrated. He shouldn't be, though. His plan surrounding the picnic had worked perfectly. Well, maybe not the way he expected it to go, but it had still worked. Elsa had agreed to train with him. In no time she would be in love with him and, once they were engaged, he would win his bet with Jain and be able to go home. That was what he wanted. Right?

Hadyn ran a hand through his hair and sauntered over to sit on the edge of his bed. He placed his head in his hands and closed his eyes for a moment. There was something different about Elsa. She was intelligent and, despite her cold exterior, she was immensely kind. The way she cared about her sister was heartwarming. What he was doing was wrong. He knew it was. His beliefs had always been against using anyone in order to gain something. And yet that was exactly what he was doing to Elsa.

Dropping his hands, Hadyn stared up at his face in the mirror. He should be able to do this, so why was he having second thoughts? It wasn't possible that he was starting to have feelings for the ice queen. No.

Shaking his head, Hadyn whacked the bed with his hand and hurried out of his room to get his thoughts on something else. He hadn't visited Shaja'a since the day before, and he was sure his faithful stead would be missing him. Perhaps he would run into Kristoff as well.

The castle was even busier, as new guests seemed to arrive daily, and he was relieved when he finally reached the town stables, which were blissfully silent. As he entered Shaja'a's stall and greeted the horse, he quickly became aware of voices from the stall next to his. He wondered if Kristoff was in there talking to Sven again. And yet it sounded as if there was a female voice as well. Curious, he headed into the neighboring stall.

The stall door was open and he leaned against the doorframe, surveying the scene before him.

He recognized Princess Bao, a princess of one of the Eastern kingdoms, and Kristoff, but his eyes moved past them towards the two animals literally frolicking around. One was Sven and the other one was…Hadyn wasn't exactly sure what it was. It looked a bit like a deer, but it was pure white with a fiery red mane and tail.

"What the heck is that?" Hadyn voiced out loud, not realizing he was speaking so loudly.

Kristoff jumped and, when he saw who the intruder was, he clutched his heart dramatically. "Geez, are you trying to shorten my lifespan. I have a weak heart!"

Bao simply turned calmly and bowed her head to Hadyn.

Hadyn bowed in return. "Kristoff, your highness, my apologies for intruding. I heard voices and I wondered who might be here this early in the morning."

"Just us." Kristoff jabbed a finger at the two animals behind them. "As you can see, we have a play date."

After glancing at the two animals, Hadyn turned to the two humans, so different it seemed odd to see them beside each other. Princess Bao was the definition of dignity, standing elegant and polite. Kristoff was…well, let's just say his sense of elegance was a bit lacking.

"How exactly did this happen?" Hadyn asked, pointing his finger between the princess and Kristoff.

Kristoff snorted. "You know, it's the funniest story. So I was out with Sven and suddenly he got tackled by this creature here. Apparently it's a qilin, though I've never heard of it. Anyway, turns out Bao here…I mean Princess Bao…she owns it. Anyway, long story short, Sven and this other one have been inseparable for the last week. So we've been setting up playdates for them."

Hadyn glanced at Bao, his eyebrows raised.

She bowed her head elegantly. "Indeed. I am afraid Bixi is missing his siblings back home. I am eternally grateful for Kristoff's kindness in letting them…how do you say it in English...hang out?"

Kristoff guffawed. "See, aren't I a great teacher. She's learning slang so quickly."

Hadyn's lip twitched as he restrained his laughter. "Kristoff, my apologies, but you seem to be forgetting you are addressing a princess."

Bao raised her hand. "Hadyn, no need. Formalities do not suit all people. They do not suit you, either. Or they didn't the last time I saw you. How is your cousin?"

Hadyn didn't move as his hand balled in a fist unconsciously. "Why do you want to know?"

"Perhaps you have forgotten what he did to my sister."

"That was her choice."

"You who!" Kristoff interrupted. "Sorry about the interruption, but what are either of you talking about?"

Neither answered him, as Hadyn recalled the day he'd seen the beautiful Princess Fang, just as beautiful as her older sister Bao. He'd been only a young teen at the time when she'd taken her own life when she found out her lover had betrayed her. And that lover, of course, had been his cousin Jain. Jain had always been the same. He discarded women as if they were glasses of wine to be drunk and then broken.

Bao smiled slightly, her eyes on Hadyn, as she answered Kristoff, "It is in the past. And I cannot blame you for any of it, your highness. My sister always spoke well of you."

Hadyn bowed his head in silent thanks.

Just then, Sven bonked his head against the wall.

"Sven! Stop playing so rough!" Kristoff moved over to the animals to rub his reindeer's noggin.

Hadyn glanced at the princess. "Is the play date the only reason you are around Kristoff?" In the back of his mind, he remembered how Anna had been avoiding Kristoff. And how the day the poodle had arrived, he'd seen Anna watching Kristoff with Bao. While it was none of his business, he didn't want Anna or Kristoff to get hurt by misunderstandings.

Bao tilted her head. "You sound very suspicious, Prince Hadyn? Honestly, Kristoff reminds me of one of my brothers. So childlike, but sarcastic. His resemblance to my brother reminds me of home. Perhaps I am missing it."

"May I ask why you came here for the wedding? No offense, but you certainly aren't here to marry Elsa and you don't seem to be here to help plan the wedding. So why did you come?"

"Should I not be asking that question of you? I often go traveling to kings' and queens' weddings around the world. You, however, have not stepped foot out of your kingdom in, well, forever. You are not the type to try to marry someone for power, nor are you someone particularly acquainted with ribbons and food in order to plan a wedding. So, let me ask you: why did you come?"

Hadyn felt discomforted. He'd never known Princess Bao well, only seeing her a handful of times in his life, and yet she was treading on information he did not want to divulge.

When he was silent for a moment, she asked quietly, "Are you here because of the queen's powers?" Again, he didn't speak. "Because I know what your father tried to do. If you had not been his only living son, he would have killed you. He hates power like yours. Like Queen Elsa's. So, tell me, your highness, are you here looking for power, or for acceptance?"

"What are we talking about?" Kristoff interrupted, coming over with a couple of straws coming out of his hair. It looked as if he had been frolicking in the hay with the two animals.

Hadyn shook his head. "Nothing of importance. So, why don't I bring Shaja'a over and we have a huge party."

Kristoff laughed. "We might need a bigger stall. Eh, princess?"

Bao shrugged, finally turning her eyes off of Hadyn. "We could try the docks and terrify the new guests coming in."

"Princess, I do believe I'm rubbing over on you too much!" Kristoff stated and the three headed out with their respective pets to have a little bit of fun themselves.

And yet, Hadyn couldn't shake the feeling of growing confusion about his feelings which his meeting with Bao did little to help.


	12. Chapter 12

**Author's Note: Hi, guys, and welcome to another chapter. We are just at the halfway mark of the story, which is exciting! This chapter is almost twice the length of previous chapters, but it's a quick read, I promise. And it's got more great scenes with Elsa and Hadyn, as I mentioned last week. Thank you for all the great reviews and, as always, let me know what you think and I'll see you all next week.**

 **12\. Energy**

"Our mental synchronization can have but one explanation."

—Frozen, Anna and Hans

Elsa hurried down the garden path as the sun shone high in the sky. The frosty air froze her breath, suspending it in the air as she trotted. She was going to talk to Kristoff. Someone had to clear this misunderstanding up, and that someone surely had to be her. Her closeness to both parties made her to perfect mediator. Besides, she knew how much they loved each other, and it would be dreadful if a misunderstanding—as it must be—got in the way.

She made it to the edge of the castle grounds on her way to the town stable Kristoff was surely at when she ran headlong into someone coming through the gate. She'd been so determined in her thoughts that she hadn't noticed anyone approaching until she crashed into them. Hands grabbed her arms to steady her and the moment his hand brushed her skin, she felt a change in the air as if lightening was about to strike.

Elsa hurriedly pulled away and looked up into red eyes. Hadyn looked just as surprised as she felt as his hands fell to his side.

For a moment, they were silent as the energy faded.

Finally, Hadyn bowed his head. "Your majesty, my apologies. I was rushing and didn't see you?"

"Didn't see me?" Elsa repeated, slightly dazed. The feeling was the same thing she felt the last time they had touched just the day before on the riding party. What could be causing such a reaction? Could it be their powers reacting to each other?

Elsa shook her head to clear her thoughts. "I mean…it is alright. I suppose I was lost in thought. I should be going. Excuse me."

She started to move past him, but he grabbed her arm. Even through the sleeve of her dress, she felt that strange energy.

"Wait, do we not have a date?" His eyes twinkled playfully.

Elsa wretched her hand away. "I have no idea what you're talking about. I'm too busy to argue with you."

"Argue with me? I thought we agreed to a truce. We agreed to practice together, did we not?"

Elsa felt foolish. Yes, she recalled that they had agreed. "I forgot. But now isn't the best time. I have to see Kristoff."

"Oh, do you?" Hadyn looked bemused. "Let me guess: you want to talk to him about your lovely sister being jealous of him spending so much time with a certain princess."

She didn't respond. This man was so frustrating! Why did he seem to always be one step ahead of her?

Luckily, he continued without her response. "If you are looking for Kristoff in the town stables, he's not there. I just left him as he was on his way up the mountain with the people who carve ice. Seems like a strange job to me, but he said it reminded him of his childhood. He took Sven, I believe. Anyway, he won't be back until dinner."

Elsa internally cursed, something she rarely did. She wanted this misunderstanding cleared up as soon as possible.

"But do you want to know a secret?" Hadyn leaned closer to her, making Elsa instinctually lean away. Lowering his voice, he whispered, "I know what's happening. I know everything. Anna's jealously. Why Kristoff is always around a certain Eastern princess."

"And what might that be?" Elsa tried to concentrate on his words as all she could sense was the scent of his breath. It smelled like peppermint, strangely enough, but with a bitterness to it.

"You don't think I'd actually tell you without anything in return."

Elsa crossed her arms, staring indignantly up at the man before her. "What do you want?"

"Nothing too drastic. Just some time. If you don't need to find Kristoff, then you can keep our date."

"I do not remember specifying a time we had decided. Besides, I have other things to do."

"And if you don't you have to worry about misunderstandings for the entire day until Kristoff gets back. You really want to do that?" He leaned even closer.

Elsa took a step back, frustrated more at her lack of patience than at Hadyn himself. After, he was behaving as he always did. She was almost getting used to his strange behavior, which could not be a good thing. "Fine! What are we supposed to do anyway? Practice our powers?"

Hadyn smiled mischievously. "Just wait!" He reached into his pocket and pulled out some gloves. She wasn't quite sure what he was doing until he pulled on one of the gloves reached out to grab her hand.

She didn't pull away instantly, but instead demanded, "What are you doing?"

"My apologies, but that energy is…well, it's a bit unsettling. You're lucky I keep spare gloves in my pocket. It's this fearsome cold, I tell you. Anyway, come on!"

He tugged on her hand, twirling her around and pulling her along behind him down towards the town. Even through the glove, Elsa felt a bit of the strange energy, but it wasn't bothersome.

"Where are we going?" Elsa asked, more politely than she felt like being.

"The stables. It's pretty quiet now, and the stalls are surprisingly big."

Elsa didn't respond, merely pulling her hand out of Hadyn's grip. "Fine, but I will walk on my own."

Hadyn shrugged and led the way.

They reached the stables in a matter of minutes, only being stopped a couple times with people paying respects to the queen. Inside the stables was smellier that Elsa remembered, though she had rarely spent much time in the stables. For all she knew, they had always been this stinky.

Hadyn glanced into several stalls before finding the one he seemed to be looking for. "There!" He stopped in front of a stall door and pointed inside. "Our training grounds may be small, but they are loyal."

Elsa walked forward and looked inside the stall. It was empty save for some stray straws forgotten on the ground. She glanced at Hadyn cynically, and then walked inside. Hadyn vanished for a moment and then showed up with two blankets.

Handing one to Elsa, he closed the stall door and placed the blanket on the ground. When he'd finished, he sat down on it cross-legged and looked up at her expectantly.

Not precisely sure what he was doing, Elsa reluctantly copied his actions and settled down on her blanket opposite him. The stall wasn't huge, but it was big enough for there to be a comfortable space between them.

"What now?" She asked.

Hadyn placed his hands on his knees. His voice was calm when he spoke. "Now, I'm going to teach you some mediation tools. Trust me, it helps with keeping powers in check. First, close your eyes."

Elsa raised her eyebrow suspiciously, but Hadyn didn't seem to notice as he sat with his eyes closed. Elsa reluctantly closed her eyes. While Elsa had never tried mediation before, she was amazed at how a sense of peace fell over her as she listened to Hadyn's soft voice, telling her when to breathe and how to breathe.

It was strange to hear Hadyn's voice transform from a loud, annoying trill to a soft flute.

After what seemed only like only a moment, Hadyn commented, his voice strained, "We should probably get going."

Elsa opened her eyes wide, staring into Hadyn's red eyes. It was only when she pulled her eyes away from his that she almost jumped in shock. Surrounding them appeared to be some sort of force field as the air rippled. Elsa jumped to her feet and the force feel vanished instantly.

Hadyn climbed to his feet as well, looking around.

"What was that?" Elsa demanded. "Does that usually happen when you meditate?"

Hadyn shook his head. "That was…unexpected. But then, I've never meditated with someone with my powers."

Elsa shook her head, perturbed, as Hadyn continued, "Don't you think it's odd that we react so strongly to each other? The energy when we touch and now this."

Hadyn sounded so serious it unnerved Elsa even more. "What do you think it could be?"

Shaking his head, Hadyn bent down to pick up his blanket. "Not sure. But then again, I've never been around people with powers like mine…ever. We should test it out. I mean, we are powerful on our own. I can't imagine how much power we might have together."

Elsa copied him and picked up the wool blanket she'd been sitting on, shaking the few lose straws from its folds. "I'm not sure if I want to. Doesn't it feel a bit unnerving?"

"Entirely…but…" He stopped.

She glanced up at him to find him watching her looking oddly serious. "What?"

"It's just…never mind." Hadyn turned and started out of the stall. "We should be getting back."

"Why? We just started."

Hadyn only laughed. "Come on. I want to show you something before we go."

Elsa rolled her eyes. So much for mediation. Did it really only take a few minutes to mediate? Shaking her head, she followed the prince.

He was in front of the stall beside them, his hand opening the gate. He gestured Elsa to look and she did.

Inside was a massive black stead. It seemed to be the one that he had been riding yesterday. Elsa wasn't fond of horses in any way, but she had to admit that this horse was impressive. She took a step forward and reached out her hand.

Hadyn voice sounded startled. "Wait! Be careful he tends to be…"

His voice faded as the horse turned to Elsa and nuzzled its nose against her hand. She pet the horse's head gently, feeling its velvety ears.

"It's beautiful!" She said in awe as the horse stared at her with soft eyes. "Is it yours?'

Hadyn came beside her and patted the horse's head. "Indeed. His name is Shaja'a. He seems to like you. That's rare. He's never warmed up to anyone but me."

Elsa didn't take her eyes off the horse. She'd never seen a horse with such a gentle face and a massive height. "Shaja'a." She repeated softly and the horse snorted at her words, tossing its head.

"He seems entranced by you." Hadyn's voice sounded distant.

Elsa smiled, rubbing under Shaja'a's massive chin. "Are you? I'm honored then."

"He's not the only one."

Elsa finally turned her head towards Hadyn, realizing only than just how close he was. His coat's sleeve brushed against hers. He raised his hand and moved to push a lock of her light gold hair behind her ear. The energy began to rise as he moved closer. Standing there, in the middle of Shaja'a's stall, Elsa was suddenly sure Hadyn was going to kiss her. The worst part was: she didn't feel repulsed by that fact.

His face was inches away from hers when the town bell began to ring.

Elsa took a step away, breaking their proximity. "That's the bell for dinner," Elsa commented breathlessly. "We…we can't have been meditating that long…"

Hadyn didn't move, simply standing there watching her. "Meditation sometimes takes you to another world." His voice sounded emotionless, though his eyes betrayed something. Sadness? Loneliness? Elsa wasn't sure.

"I—I should be getting to dinner." Elsa turned and started out of the stall, only to have Hadyn's voice stop her.

"Elsa, about Kristoff. He's befriended Bao because Sven gets along with her qilin. That's all. Tell Anna for me, would you?"

Elsa couldn't force herself to look at him, and instead merely said, "Thank you," before hurrying out of the stall.

She felt highly disturbed as her heart beat wildly. Exiting the stables, she observed the sun setting in the east. So, they really had been meditating for hours, even when it had felt like moments to her. Now she was behind on everything. Focus, she told herself. She had to clear up the misunderstanding between Kristoff and Anna…and get her mind away from fire.


	13. Chapter 13

**Author's Note: Hi, guys. I know I'm a couple hours late in posting, but it was because I had to write the chapter this morning. So, if it has any grammar typos, I apologize. I didn't have a chance to go over it thoroughly. Anyway, thank you for all the great reviews, especially from those who are guests (because I can't actually send you messages thanking you, so thank you). I'm really tired from work yesterday, so I'm just going to leave this note at that and, as always, let me know what you think. See you all next Saturday!**

 **13\. To Have a Care**

"Who marries a man she just met?"

– Frozen, Kristoff

Elsa hurried up the castle steps in search of her sister. She had to find her and explain the misunderstanding concerning Kristoff and the Eastern princess. While she still felt disturbed about the time she had spent with Hadyn, Elsa told herself she must focus on the more important matter of her sister's happiness.

It was near dinnertime, and she hoped to find Anna before then. Where she was, however, proved more of a difficulty to ascertain. When Elsa asked several servants where they had last seen her sister, they all seemed to have different answers. One said they had seen her going upstairs, another said she was talking to the cook in the kitchen. Basically, they were all useless.

Finally, after searching the castle for an hour as dinner rapidly approached, Elsa was about to give up and head into dinner when she finally spotted her sister while she walked the gardens. Anna, it appeared, was on the third floor of the castle with some servants. Elsa headed towards the castle in a rush, hoping to catch her sister before Anna entered the dinner hall.

However, she was stopped by the arrival of one of the many princes. She had no idea of his one's name, and she didn't care to.

"My queen!" He exclaimed, bowing low.

She didn't even give him enough notice to look at him appearance, which looked plain from a glance. Instead, she merely nodded her head and moved around him.

He moved in front of her. "My queen, tarry for a moment."

Elsa stopped, narrowing her eyes. "What is it?"

"You must know I cannot stop thinking about you. Your beauty…your…your power. You make me feel alive. Please, ignore all these other royals here to seek your hand. Choose me!"

Elsa stared at him, blinking. He could not be serious. In fact, he probably wasn't. "Sir, I—"

He didn't let her finish. "I know what you will say. I am here for your money, or for power, but I assure you that—"

"Sir, please allow me to finish my sentence." Elsa raised her voice. "You do not know me at all. In fact, I can't recall you from all the suitors. And honestly, I don't believe you. There is no reason for flattery, and if you want to convince a woman you love her and aren't just looking to gain power, I suggest you do a better job of it."

Pushing past him none too politely, Elsa headed out of the garden and inside the castle.

The moment she entered the open doors into a hallway, a voice beside her commented, "Tiring, isn't it?"

Elsa glanced over. Leaning on the door frame on the inside of the door was a tall young man. She couldn't recall if he was one of the princes or not. His dark hair, piercing black eyes, and slender figure reminded her of someone. Hadyn, in fact.

"What is?" She asked.

"Being pursued by all these suiters."

Elsa raised her eyebrow. "Aren't you one of them?"

The man let out a light laugh, pushing away from the doorframe and coming to stand in front of her. "Oh dear, do I have the aura about me? My apologies. No, I am not one of your suitors. I can promise you that. I came here with my cousin to attend the wedding. My uncle is a king and he always forces me to attend every royal wedding. It gets a bit tedious, actually."

She wasn't certain that she believed him, but for now she might as well believe his words until proved otherwise. "Oh, I'm sorry. I suppose I am used to every man I see trying to marry me. Where are you from?"

"The south, roundabout. My name is Lord Jain." Jain bowed his head.

"Elsa."

"I know. Who doesn't? Now, tell me, you seem to be in a bit of a hurry."

Elsa nodded politely. She didn't dislike Lord Jain; it was simply something about him that made her uneasy. He seemed polite enough, though, so it was probably just her. "I am looking for my sister."

"Ah, the bride-to-be. Of course. I saw her heading down to dinner."

"Oh." Elsa stated. It was probably too late to talk to her sister until after dinner then.

"Should we join her?" Jain queried.

Elsa sighed. "I suppose so."

Jain offered her his arm politely and she took it. Together, they headed towards the dining hall.

On the way, Elsa asked, "I forgot to ask you. Who is the cousin you came with? Do I know them?"

Jain shrugged. "I think you do, but I try not to associate myself with him. I would prefer if you just knew me for myself, and not for my rude cousin."

Elsa's eyebrows rose. No, it couldn't be possible. Well, he did look awfully a lot like Hadyn, but then Hadyn had never mentioned that he had a cousin of any sort, here with him or back home. And if he was here in Arendelle with him, why had Hadyn never mentioned him.

"You are Hadyn's cousin," Elsa said, more as a statement than a question.

Jain bowed his head. "Indeed. Do we look so similar that you could tell?"

Elsa shook her head. "You two don't look too similar. It's just that you have the same hair and skin. There are no other southern dignitaries in Allendale now, which narrows down whose cousin you could be. Also, why do you say he's rude?"

Jain looked at her, an expression of genuine surprise covering his face. "What? You mean you don't dislike him? I thought he would make enemies with everyone here immediately. He has that arrogant way of doing things that usually makes people annoyed."

"I never said he wasn't annoying. And he is rude, but I don't dislike him. At least, not anymore. But he's your cousin, so why don't you want to be associated with him?"

Jain didn't response immediately, instead simply staring at her face as if trying to decipher something. Finally, he asked, "You really don't dislike him?"

"Do you doubt my word?" Elsa shifted, and continued their walk.

Together, they entered the dining hall, which was already filled with people. Elsa immediately spotted Anna, who sat near the end of the table looking a bit tired.

As she stared at her sister, Jain commented dryly beside her, "Well, well, speaking of my cousin."

Elsa glanced at him and then surveyed the crowd. Her eyes paused on a pair of red eyes watching her intently. Hadyn sat far away, and yet she could see from even across the hall how intense he looked. He seemed to be looking at her and Jain as anger spread over his face. Why, Elsa wondered.

"I wonder what made him upset?" Jain asked.

Elsa shrugged, turning away. "I hardly know. His reactions are always so strange. Now, if you will excuse me, I'll join my sister for dinner."

Jain didn't let go of her arm for a moment, instead stepping closer and lowering his voice. "Before you go, let me warn you. I love my cousin dearly, but be cautious. He can be dangerous at times. I suppose he hasn't told you how many people he has killed."

Elsa looked up at him in surprise. However, before she could ask him to explain, Jain released her arm and departed. Feeling decidedly uncomfortable and unable to look at Hadyn, Elsa went to sit next to her sister, telling herself that soon all would be fixed and Hadyn was none of her business.


	14. Chapter 14

**Author's Note: Hi, welcome to another chapter of _Thawed_. So this chapter will have a bit of a twist, but that's all I'm telling you for now. I don't have much to say except that I'm tired from work so if there's any typos in the chapter, forgive me. Also, to guest Frostbite who left a review: I can't believe I missed that I typed Allandale and not Arendelle. It's just proof that I was really tired last week...and this week. Anyway, I rectified the mistake. Thanks for pointing it out! As always, let me know what you guys think about the chapter and I'll see you all next week.**

 **14\. Soft Whispers**

"Fear will be your enemy."

—Frozen, Grand Pabbie

Anna poked her food with her fork, leaning her head against her other hand. She didn't feel very hungry as she ignored the loud talking for all around the long table. Gabbri's boisterous laugh could be heard from all the way across the room.

She felt someone poke her arm and glanced up to see Elsa sitting beside her.

"Anna? Are you alright?" Elsa kept her voice barely above a whisper.

Anna shook her head. "No. Did you know Kristoff left? He was supposed to be back for dinner, but he isn't."

Elsa touched her arm and leaned closer. "Anna, don't worry about it. It's all a misunderstanding. I have uncovered the truth. Meet me in my room after dinner, and I'll clear up everything."

Anne's ears perked. Misunderstanding? What was Elsa talking about? She wasn't certain, but she wanted to know. Whispering, she asked, "Misunderstanding? Does it have to do with Kristoff?"

Elsa nodded. "Yes. I'll explain further upstairs, but I found out that Kristoff and Bao are just friends bonding over animals. Nothing more. So you don't need to worry."

Just then, a dignitary from Elsa's other side interrupted their conversation, and Anna was unable to get any more information from her sister over dinner. It seemed like an eternity until dinner was over and the many guests headed upstairs to bed.

Anna stayed behind for a moment to steal in the garden, as Elsa was captured talking to several princes. Anna's mind was full of confusion and she was certain a little fresh air would help her. Her heart fluttered. How could she not believe Elsa? This was a misunderstanding. Kristoff still loved her. Anna grinned, looking forward to learning how this misunderstanding happened. She had just rounded a bush when she ran headlong into a man.

"Oops, sorry," were the only words she could think to say.

"No, my apologies, your highness. I am afraid I was distracted."

Anna looked up and was surprised to be looking into a face that looked much like Hadyn's. She didn't recall seeing this man before, though. "Oh, it's fine. You know, you look a lot like a prince I know."

The man smiled. "I don't suppose you are thinking of Prince Hadyn?"

"How did you know?"

"Unfortunately, he's my cousin. My name is Jain."

Anna perked up. So he was related to Hadyn. For a moment, she forgot her worries. "Really? Did you come with him to Arendelle? He never even mentioned he had a cousin."

"Your sister was saying the same thing to me earlier. I suppose I am cursed to be merely his shadow."

"I'm sure it's not that bad. But are you close to him? Do you talk about things?"

Jain let out a quick laugh. "I see Hadyn was right. You aren't much like your sister. But I suppose we are pretty close. We grew up together, after all. Why do you ask?"

Anna leaned closer, lowering her voice. "I'm wondering if he has talked to you about anything on his mind lately. Say, something having to do with my sister."

Jain's eyebrow rose and he crossed his arms. "I beg your pardon, Princess Anna, but are you trying to match my cousin with your sister?"

Anna nodded excitedly. "It's not that I want to force anything, but you should see them together. They are so adorable. I'm just wondering if Hadyn might like Elsa."

"Maybe. He hasn't outwardly said anything, if that's what you mean. But I suppose I've known him for too long not to notice a difference. He has been acting a bit strange since coming here."

"Really?" Anna asked excitedly.

"Indeed, but I cannot say more yet. He's actually been a bit evasive lately, as if he's avoiding his feelings."

"Why would he do that?"

Jain shook his head. "He has received much pain in his life and little love. I suppose he doesn't know how to love. Perhaps he is afraid to care for your sister."

"I'm surprised to hear that. I never thought Hadyn would be like that. I know Elsa is like that, but Hadyn too? No wonder they are acting so strange. But what can we do about it?"

"We?" Jain smirked. "Do not tell me you want to play matchmaker? And are you recruiting me to help you?"

Anna shrugged, feeling excited. "Yes. You know your cousin and I know my sister, so we are probably the only ones able to." She jumped, clapping her hands together. "Oh, this is so exciting. Now that misunderstandings have been cleared up, I can get back to finding my sister love."

"Misunderstandings? Do you mean about Kristoff and Bao?"

Anna felt surprised. What? Did everyone know this? "How did you know?"

Jain gestured for her to follow him. "We should be getting inside. It's late." Together they headed for the palace. As they walked, Jain commented, "I heard it from Hadyn. He seems to have befriended your fiancé. But what do you mean that it has been cleared up?"

Anna shrugged. "Oh, Elsa told me at dinner that they were just friends and bonded over animals. She's going to tell me more details later. But if my sister says it, I'm certain it's true. She's not the sort of person who will just say something to make me feel better if she isn't sure it's reality."

"Indeed," Jain sounded cautious. "Well, if that is the case, I would not wish to intrude."

Anna glanced at him suspiciously. "What do you mean? What aren't you telling me?"

Hadyn's cousin shrugged. "Nothing. It isn't really my business. It's only that…well, I am not certain where your sister got her information, but it might not be accurate."

"What?" Anna's heart dropped.

Jain raised his hands. "Like a said, I don't want to interfere, but let me just say I have personally witnessed Kristoff and Bao…doing things that would not make sense for friends to do."

"Doing things? What sorts of things?"

"Holding hands, being very close to each other…even kissing."

"Kissing!" Anna stopped, her mind clouded with confusion. "But Elsa said…"

"I am certain your sister was sure she was being honest. I just am not sure if she knows the truth herself. She has not witnessed what I have. I am sorry to tell you this, your highness, but—"

"I…I need a moment." Anna didn't want to be around anyone. She turned and ran inside the palace.

Everything was a lie. What was happening to her perfect fairytale? First Hans had betrayed her, and now Kristoff? She didn't want to see anyone. She wanted everyone to go away. This wedding could not take place. With that thought, she hurried to go tell her sister she was breaking off the wedding.


	15. Chapter 15

**Author's Note: Hi, guys. So, I have a couple announcements before I get to the chapter. First, I will be posting late next week. I work in the morning Saturday, so I won't be posting until the evening (at least for those who are reading this is America). But basically, expect the next chapter about six hours later than usual. Second, I wanted to personally thank all the people who are been giving great reviews from the beginning of the story: Megan Lyle (Guest) and Shawn Raven particularly. Thank you to both of you for sticking with this story for so long and for everyone who has taken the time to review. So, with no further discussion, let's get to the chapter!**

 **15\. Crazy**

"Cut through the heart, cold and clear. Strike for love and strike for fear."

—Frozen, Ice Harvesters

It took Elsa nearly two hours to pry herself away from her guests and make her way upstairs. She was sure Anna must think she had forgotten her promise, but Elsa was as resolved as ever to clear up this misunderstanding and bring about her sister's happiness. On the way up the stairs, she ran into Kristoff, who was also coming up. He looked as if he, like her, had just been through an ordeal.

"Kristoff!" Elsa approached her soon-to-be brother-in-law. "Did you just return?"

Kristoff panted, looking a bit panicked. It didn't suit his usually sarcastic, calm self. Instead of answering her question, he exclaimed, "Is it true that Anna thinks I and Bao are…are seeing each other?"

Elsa took him by the arm, holding him steady. "Kristoff, calm down. It is a misunderstanding. I just found out myself, and I am going to explain things to Anna."

Despite her words, he did not calm down. He seemed both angry and worried. "I will not calm down! How could she think something like that? I would never do something like that to hurt Anna. I love her! She must know that!"

Her grip tightened on his arm. "Listen to me, Kristoff. She is extremely stressed out because of this wedding. She may not show it, but she hasn't been sleeping well since many of the guests began to arrive. Her mind is dulled from lack of sleep and stress. Anna isn't thinking straight."

"I have to talk to her." He tried to move up the stairs, but Elsa yanked on his arm to keep him back. He was far too emotional to talk to anyone tonight.

"Kristoff, go to bed. You are distraught, and the last thing Anna needs to deal with now is someone who is distraught. Go to bed. I will take care of everything. Talk to Anna in the morning. Alright?"

Kristoff paused, eyeing Elsa. "You'll talk to her?"

Elsa nodded. "Don't worry. I know you wouldn't do anything like that. Just let me talk to my sister. Right now, she may be too upset to listen to you." She patted his arm. "It's going to be alright."

Kristoff didn't look convinced nor did he look calm, but he took her orders without complaint and headed to his bedroom.

Watching him go with his shoulders down and hair messy nearly broke her heart. Once he was out of sight, Elsa hurried upstairs, even more determined than ever to talk to Anna.

The halls upstairs were empty as she traversed them, mostly because either the guests were asleep or they were still downstairs. The chilled air calmed Elsa's nerves. She liked the cold. She always had. Its gentle touch against her cheek gave her peace against all the torments and hurt in the world. Its coldness gave her warmth. Her dinner dress was thin, but the cold didn't bother her. Her blue gloves almost felt out of place in this comfortable place.

She was just turning down the hallway towards Anna's room when a hand grabbed her wrist and she was pulled into a room she had just past. The moment the hand touched her, she felt an electric force faintly through her glove and knew instantly who had grabbed her.

After pulling her into the room, Hadyn turned on her, releasing her hand.

Elsa was too startled to react immediately, as she was suddenly aware of their location. It appeared they were inside a bedroom, which she could only assume to be the guest bedroom he was staying in.

Trying to stay calm, Elsa asked, "What are you doing?"

Hadyn ignored her question, and she was shocked for a moment to see literal smoke coming off his shoulders. It took her a moment to realize he was not on fire and that it was simply his powers. Having experienced random spikes in her ice power when she was distraught, Elsa could relate to what he was going through. However, she was unsure what caused him to be this way, considering he had always proven to have an able hand on his powers.

"Why were you with Jain?" Hadyn demanded.

Elsa blinked. "Oh, you mean your cousin. I ran into him in the garden and we walked into dinner together. You never told me you had a cousin."

Hadyn took a step closer to her. "What did he say to you?"

She wasn't sure how to react, having never seen Hadyn quite this passionate. "Why do you ask?"

Before she could move, Hadyn took another step forward and grabbed her arms. "Did he say anything about me?"

Elsa leaned back, trying to distance herself from him as electric sparks went between them. However, Hadyn didn't loosen his grip at all. Jain's words about his cousin came back to Elsa's mind: _Be cautious. He can be dangerous at times. I suppose he hasn't told you how many people he has killed._

"Why does it matter?" Elsa asked cautiously. She was beginning to believe Jain. There was something very terrifying about Hadyn. She wasn't scared of him herself, but perhaps that was because of her powers. If anyone else saw him as he was now, she would expect it would be terrifying.

"Answer my question!" Hadyn's voice rose.

Elsa tried to wench herself out of his grasp, but his steel grip kept firm. "Let me go! I have no inclination to answer your questions, especially when we are standing in such an inappropriate position."

Hadyn didn't seem perturbed. "I'm warning you, Elsa, stay away from my cousin. He's dangerous."

"Strange. He said the same thing about you."

"He's lying."

"Really?" Elsa felt angrier. "So, you deny that you've killed people?"

Hadyn's face clouded over and he was rendered silent. However, he did not deny it.

Elsa felt his grip slacken a bit and took the chance to wench her hands away. "Look, I don't care. You are nothing to me but a guest. Once Anna's wedding is over, you will be gone. What you have done in your life is none of my business."

She moved around him towards the open door, but he grabbed her hand as she passed. Not looking at him, she froze.

"Do you hate me that much?" His anger seemed to have dissipated and now his voice simply sounded tired.

Elsa's hand clenched in a fist. "I…I didn't say that."

"Then can't you?"

She could hear him turn behind her, but she didn't move. "What? You want me to hate you?" That didn't make any sense.

"I prefer you being angry at me than indifferent. Hate me. Loathe me. But please, don't say you don't care."

Elsa pursed her lips, but didn't say anything. Confusion flooded her brain. What was she feeling? It was so difficult to tell. She felt numb, but no indifferent.

In a swift move, Hadyn tugged on her hand and forced her to face him. She looked straight in his red eyes. The smoke had ceased, which must be a good sign, but the intensity in his eyes was still there.

"What are you doing to me?" He asked.

Elsa blinked. "I'm not doing anything to you."

Hadyn reached up and touched her cheek. Luckily, he was wearing gloves as well, but she still felt the electric current.

"You are driving me crazy," he whispered.

"Elsa!"

Elsa jumped at her name being called from down the hall. Hadyn's hand fell from her cheek, but he continued to watch her. She recognized her sister's voice. Refusing to look Hadyn in the eye as she felt a blush creep to her pale cheeks, Elsa turned and rushed out of the room.

In the hallway, she spotted her sister rushing towards her. Anna looked like she had been crying. Elsa tried to calm herself from the incident with Hadyn.

"Anna? What's wrong?" Elsa asked.

Anna didn't pause as she rushed past Elsa towards her room. As she went by, Anna grabbed her sister's hand and pulled her after her. The two girls didn't say anything until they were inside Anna's bedroom and she had shut the door behind her.

When they were alone, Anna turned to her sister. "I'm breaking off the wedding."


	16. Chapter 16

**Author's Note: Thank you, guys, for your patience today. Next week I'll be late again (I work...again), but the following week I'm back to posting in the morning (or, the morning in America, at least). Anyway, this chapter is intense, as always, but I'll let you guys make your own perceptions on it. I'm exhausted from waking up at four this morning to go to work, so I'll leave my note at that and get to the chapter. As always, let me know what you think and I'll see you all next Saturday.**

 **16\. Listen to Me…**

"I knew there was something dubious going on here."

—Frozen, Duke

"What?" Elsa demanded, staring in shock at her sister. She noticed the streaks on Anna's cheeks and realized she must have been crying. Subconsciously, Elsa reached out to Anna and wrapped her sister in her arms. Immediately, Anne burst into tears. Elsa led Anna over to her bed and they both sat.

A few moments passed as the only sound that could be heard was Anna's sobbing. Finally, as Anna seemed to have run out of tears, Elsa queried, "What happened, Anna? Why do you want to break off the wedding?"

Anna drew back from her sister, wiping her running nose on her sleeve. Her face was covered with snot and tears, which Elsa gently wiped away with a handkerchief she produced from her pocket.

Between sobs, Anna managed to snout, "Kristoff…Bao…how could he do this to me? I can never speak to him again. All our plans. Oh, Elsa! Please don't leave me!"

Elsa rubbed Anna's arm. "Anna, calm down. I told you. It is just a misunderstanding. I just saw Kristoff myself. He was so distraught thinking that you thought he would leave you for Princess Bao. It is just that her pet and Sven get along so Kristoff and Bao have been setting up playdates for them. That is all."

Anna stopped sobbing and only hiccupped a few times. Her face turned red from anger. "Is that what Kristoff told you?"

"Yes, and Hadyn. The point is that you are stressed and emotional."

"I'm stressed and emotional? _I'm_ emotional?" Anna raised her voice. "You don't know anything. I have a witness who says that Kristoff and Bao were kissing. Kissing! Does that sound like mere pet owners setting up dates for their pets?" She didn't let Elsa answer and went on. "No, that doesn't!"

Elsa had to almost shout to get Anna to hear her. "What witness?"

"Hadyn's cousin. And don't tell me he is someone who would lie."

Elsa stayed quiet as Anna continued to rant. Jain? Why would he tell Anna he saw them kissing? It couldn't be true. Elsa thought over her conversation just a bit ago with Hadyn. He had said not to trust Jain, though Jain had said the same thing himself about Hadyn. Who did she trust more? She'd only known Jain for several hours, and yet in the few weeks she had known Hadyn, he hadn't struck her as a completely trustworthy person. He had killed people, after all…at least, he hadn't deny killing people.

Shaking her head, Elsa turned her attention back to her sister and put firm hands on Anna's shoulder. "Anna, be quiet and listen to me carefully." Her voice was firm and Anna immediately fell silent. "Anna, you have known Kristoff for a year. He has never given you any indication that you should mistrust him. He has been loyal, both to this country and to you. He has been important in helping both you and I intergrade ourselves back into the population after being locked in this castle for so long. Compare that to Jain, who you have known for a few weeks, at most. We know nothing of his character. He could be some sort of cad or a pathological liar. He hasn't proved to be reliable in any way, and yet you trust his word over the promise of your fiancé? Anna, think rationally."

Anna bristled. "Why would Jain lie? He has no reason to!"

"I don't know. I just know that I trust Kristoff."

Anna shook her head, looking suddenly wearied. "But I can't. I…I just can't. Elsa, I'm tired. Can you leave? I want to go to bed." Anne rose and moved over to the door, opening it and gesturing for her sister to leave.

On one hand, Elsa wanted to shake Anna. However, she also didn't want to alienate her sister. Perhaps a night's sleep would do all of them good. Elsa rose and walked out of the door. As she turned to bid her sister goodnight, Anna closed the door in her face.

Blankly, Elsa stared at the closed door. Whatever was going on? Anna was always so easygoing. Why was she suddenly so cold? Something wasn't right. Elsa didn't know what it was, but she was going to find out. A huge yawn struck her just then and she was distracted from her determination by her sudden tiredness. What would one more night hurt?

She turned and hurried down the hallway to her own room, consoling herself with the determination that she would fix everything tomorrow.

As she turned a corner, she spotted Hadyn's cousin lounging on one of the balconies outside, smoking. Pursing her lips, Elsa put aside sleep for a moment as she slid out of the doors. The cold air felt relieving against her skin, as cold always had.

Jain turned when she joined him, bowing as he saw her. "Your majesty, what an unexpected surprise. I would have thought you would be in bed by now. It is nearly midnight."

Elsa glanced up at the moon. It was nearly full and stood high in the sky, reflexing on the frozen, icy lake below them. Crossing her arms, she turned to Jain as he puffed another deep breath of smoke.

Instead of dancing around the question, Elsa merely asked, "Did you tell my sister you saw Kristoff and Bao kissing?"

Jain didn't even twitch as he continued to smoke. There was something about him that unnerved her. He was just too calm. Both cousins seemed controlling, but Hadyn was very direct, whereas Jain seemed much more subtle. Elsa had never been fond of subtle manipulation.

When he didn't answer immediately, she asked, "Is it true?"

Jain glanced at her, his eyes twinkling mysterious. "You think it isn't?"

Elsa retrained her anger, keeping her voice steady. "I want to know exactly what you saw."

"What more is there to explain? I saw them kissing. That is all. Would you like me to elaborate?" He pushed himself away from the balcony edge and inched towards her, his eyes fixed on hers. "How his arm moved slowly around her waist. How his lips breathed against her neck. How she reached her hands into his hair. How their bodies melted together…"

"Stop!" Elsa raised her hand, banging it against his chest. She had no idea he had gotten this close, but his proximity and his words unnerved her. Goosebumps rose on the back of her neck. "I do not know what game you and your cousin are playing, Lord Jain, but I advise you to stay away from me and my sister. If I ever see you around my sister filling her head with lies again, I will be only too pleased to have you thrown out of my kingdom."

Whirling she strode off the balcony and hurried all the way to her room. She did not run into anyone on the way and once she was inside her room, she collapsed on the floor. Her whole body shook. Everything was too much. Jain was so close to her, and yet she didn't feel like she did when Hadyn was close. What kind of mad games were being played with her heart? And her sister, oh, her poor sister. What could she do?

Right there on the floor, Elsa curled up into a ball and fell fast asleep.


	17. Chapter 17

**Auther's note: I'm so tired, I can't think of what to say. This week as been exhausting because of work, so I'll skip any announcements and get straight to the chapter. Let me know what you think of this chapter and thanks for all the great reviews!**

 **17\. A Bet Over**

"The heart is not so easily changed, but the head can be persuaded."

—Frozen, Grand Pabbie

Jain sipped his yellow mimosas calmly, relaxing on his chilly balcony as the sun rose above the balcony. Long fur robes hung over his shoulders loosely covering his white night shift. Yawns from his latest conquest could be heard through the cracked open balcony door as she hurried dressed, but he ignored all this and simply stared out at the frozen winter land before him. Closing his eyes, he took a deep breath, taking in the refreshing air.

A loud bang disrupted his calmness and he heard loud talking in the bedroom. A moment later, the balcony door was thrown open and who should enter but Jain's very own cousin Hadyn.

Fully dressed as if ready to travel, complete with cape, Hadyn looked distraught. His dark hair was messed as if he had just rolled out of bed, and he seemed anxious as he paced back and forth against the balcony.

"What has you so hot and bothered?" Jain queried, a smile twisting his face. "The chilly ice queen, perhaps?"

Hadyn stopped pacing and looked at his cousin, his fists tightening. "Jain, I'm calling off our bet."

Jain's only reaction was to raise his eyebrows slightly. "Indeed?" He asked cynically. "And what bet would that be?"

"You bloody well know what bet I'm talking about. I am not doing it anymore. Whether I defy my father or not, I am going home!" Hadyn seemed serious...and furious.

Jain sighed and carefully placed his drink down on the table beside his chair. "Hadyn, it appears something has riled you up. Did Elsa dump you? Or refuse you? You look like you didn't sleep a wink last night. You should have known this wouldn't be easy."

"Bullshit. We are not arguing about this! We are leaving."

"Indeed? Hadyn, why don't you calm down and we can talk about this. You look like you need a drink."

Hadyn turned and hit the wall behind them. Sparks explored as fire dissipated around his fist.

Jain had never seen Hadyn this angry.

"Jain, we—are—leaving," Hadyn growled slowly.

Jain rose, narrowing his eyes. "I don't think so."

"Well, I do. We're done." Hadyn didn't back down as Jain stood above him, crossing his arms calmly. "I'm sick of these games. Why the hell would my father want me to marry Elsa anyway? He's got enough power."

"Oh, I understand," Jain interrupted, realization dawning on his face. "You've fallen in love with her, haven't you?"

Hadyn snorted. "Jain, that's your problem. You judge every seemingly good thing someone does on the merit of lust and greed. Yes, I admit it. I care about Elsa. Not like you've lusted after your conquests, though. I see her goodness and I see how harmful I am to not only her, but to her sister and her entire country. I'm leaving not because I love her, but because I see a semblance of good in her. A good that I forgot even existed because the only people I am surrounded by are selfish, greedy bastards like you and my father."

Jain's mouth was a thin line, though he didn't interrupt his cousin's rant.

"I am sick of my own smell," Hadyn continued. "I smell of blood. That smell cannot be washed off, no matter how many times I bath in sweet scents. I do not know my father's reasons for sending me here, but I am done. He can punish me. He can exile me for all I damn well care, but I am done."

Hadyn turned and headed out of the balcony, but as he was reaching for the doorknob, Jain grabbed his arm.

"Tarry a moment, cousin." Jain's voice was soft. Dangerously soft. "I have not said my peace yet."

Hadyn froze, his muscles tensing in his arm as he unconsciously pulled away from the touch of his cousin.

"You wish to know why your father sent you here. I shall tell you if you like."

Hadyn glanced back and Jain removed his hand. Lowering his voice, Jain started.

"Your father does not want you to marry Queen Elsa. That was merely a disguise of your mission…or rather, my mission."

Crossing his arms, Hadyn raised an eyebrow. "Your mission? What does that have to do with me?"

Jain let out a soft laugh and turned to pick up his drink. "You were always a bit slow on everything. Too busy scampering across the kingdom to know what was actually happening in politics. You and the ice queen are quite similar, though I know you would never admit it. You both rejected that which you were born into. And who was left to endure the brunt of your father's heavy hand?"

Hadyn remained silent.

"Me, Hadyn, it was me. The bastard son of your father's sister. She was a princess, and my father was a bandit. Did your father ever tell you that? No? I'm not surprised. When you turned out to be so rebellious, he realized I was the only one who could take over your responsibilities. Reluctantly, yes, but he had no one else. While you were prancing around as a bandit-killing vigilante, I was making sure our country didn't crumble."

"What does that have to do with this mission?"

Jain took another sip of his drink. "I don't _like_ hurting people, Hadyn, even if you may think otherwise. However, I will eliminate anything which might hurt our country's power."

Hadyn seemed shocked for a moment as thoughts flew through his mind. Unbelieving as a terrible notion slowly dawned on him, he asked, "What?"

"Queen Elsa is powerful. In fact, she is one power which could even challenge our own country's power. As soon as she appeared, our country became less feared. And as we become less feared, we become less powerful."

"And what do you plan to do about that? Kill the queen?" Hadyn snorted at his absurd joke, but Jain didn't laugh.

Tapping his finger against the glass of his cup, Jain murmured, "The queen is too powerful."

Hadyn blinked, his smile vanishing. "What do you mean? Are you saying this is an assassination mission? Are you using me to get close to the queen? You must be joking, or you are a fool. What makes you think you are any match against Elsa?"

Jain smiled, and looked back at his cousin. "You are so innocent, Hadyn, and naïve. Why do you think I asked your father to send you here? Because I knew you would challenge to queen in both power and heart. You were the perfect choice. My plan was simple." He turned and walked to the edge of the balcony. "You would break down her heart's defenses from one side, and I would distract her on the other side."

"Other side? What other side?" Hadyn's breathing became more and more labored as he tried to gain control of his emotions and not punch his cousin.

"Her sister, of course. I destroy Anna's happiness, and thus Elsa. I sent her on the brink an emotional cliff, where any moment she might topple off. In fact, people might not even be surprised if she ended her own life."

"Why are you telling me this? And what makes you think—" Hadyn kept his voice mostly steady, "—that I will simply stand by and not go immediately to Elsa and tell her everything?"

Jain smirked. "Wait one moment and I will show you."

Moving around his cousin, Jain entered his room and rummaged in one of the drawers beside his bed. Finally, he found what he was looking and pulled a small box out. Hadyn cautiously entered Jain's room, crossing his arms and preparing for any weapon his cousin might throw at him.

What Jain pulled out, however, was not what Hadyn was expecting.

As Jain opened a small box inside the drawer, a wisp of smoke rose up which immediately surrounded Hadyn. A thin, translucent wall surrounded him like a cage.

Immediately, Hadyn struck out with fire, which merely dissipated against the wall.

Jain shook his head slowly. "I did not want to do this, but you cannot leave. Not yet. I have some need of you."

"What the hell is this, Jain?"

His cousin shrugged. "Nothing. Merely something I was planning to use on your ice queen. Oh, and don't try to scream. The noise inside is dulled. In fact, I can barely hear you out here. Anyway—" Jain began to dress as he continued to talk, "—I would love to chat, but I have a date with a lovely ice queen. You stay tight. My plans will be complete tomorrow. You'll survive that long without food and water."

Finishing, Jain turned to wink at his cousin before vanishing outside of his room.

Hadyn's screams were lost inside his cage.


	18. Chapter 18

**Author's Note: First, sorry for posting so late. I had been planning to post earlier today, but I was so exhausted that I ended up sleeping in (I slept for eleven hours straight, in fact). But anyway, this chapter is starting the beginning of the end, so to speak. The climax is creeping up and there's only about seven chapters left (unless I end up adding a couple more). So, as always, thanks for the great reviews and I look forward to hearing what you guys think of this chapter. See you next week!**

 **18\. Clarity?**

"Nobody wants to be alone."

–Frozen, Anna

Knock. Knock.

Elsa opened her eyes groggily, and realized after a moment that someone was knocking on the door. Glancing at the clock and outside the windows made Elsa realize it was nearly noon. Groggily, she sat up, rubbing her eyes.

"Who is it?" She called.

A small voice came from outside. "It's me, Elsa. Can I come in?"

Elsa recognized her sister's voice, even through the thick door. Suddenly, she remembered everything that had happened the previous night. Their argument. Hadyn. Jain. Everything had been so crazy. How had she forgotten all that had happened.

"Come in," Elsa called out cautiously.

The door creaked open as Anna entered sheepishly, hanging her head.

"Are you alright?" Anna asked. "I've been waiting in the hallway for hours hoping you'd come out."

Elsa blinked, recalling that Anna would do the same thing when they were children. Shaking her head to wake herself up fully and watching Anna carefully for any anger she emitted the previous night, Elsa answered, "I must have been tired. I can't remember sleeping this long for years. Are you…alright?"

Anna nodded slowly. "I…I wasn't last night. I'm…I wasn't thinking straight. I'm sorry."

Elsa patted the bed beside her. "Come here. We should talk."

Despite Anna saying she was alright, she still seemed more serious than usual. Anna simply nodded again and moved over to the bed. "Yes, we need to talk about a few things."

After Anna had sat, Elsa opened her mouth to speak, but Anna held up a hand. _Oh, dear_ , Elsa thought. Anna still must be angry. Was she going to keep going with her plan to call off the wedding?

Despite Anna's hand, Elsa blurted out, "Please don't call off the wedding yet. I don't trust Jain. We've known Kristoff for over a year and he has never done anything—"

"I know," Anna interrupted. "I believe you."

Elsa fell silent for a second before asking disbelievingly, "You do?"

Anna nodded soberly. "I didn't when I got up this morning. I was so upset and confused last night. I couldn't imagine Jain lying and I was so angry that you didn't take my side. But then…" Anna quieted.

"Then?" Elsa asked a moment later when Anna didn't finish her sentence.

Anna looked intently at her sister, as if trying to read her thoughts. "Elsa, do you like Hadyn?"

Elsa blinked. "Where is that come from? I…I…" She paused. She had been about to deny all attraction towards the fire prince, but she couldn't lie to her sister or to herself. Despite how she hated to admit it, over the two weeks she had known him, she had found herself feeling drawn very much to Hadyn. He was untrustworthy and he jabbed at her darkest parts she didn't reveal to anyone. And yet, she had wanted him to kiss her last night. Elsa looked away from her sister.

"I was afraid of that," Anna said finally.

Elsa looked back at her, her brow furrowed. "Afraid of what."

"That you liked him." Anna drew closer. "I…I overheard Hadyn talking to his cousin this morning."

Elsa's expression darkened. "Really? What did they say?"

Anna's face reddened in embarrassment. "They made me realize how stupid we are both being."

"Anna, I just woke up and am not in the mood for riddles. Can you explain?"

Anna sighed and explained. "I was really upset this morning so I decided to get some fresh air. I went to the roof and…well, I happened to right above Jain's room. I heard Jain and Hadyn talking on the balcony. I didn't catch it all, but I heard something about a bet they had."

"A bet?"

Anna nodded. "To have Hadyn marry you. It sounded as if Hadyn was upset about it and wanted to leave Arendelle. I didn't get why. And Jain—" Anna gripped her fists in anger, "—I was wrong about him. I thought he was nice, but…"

Elsa was shaking from anger on the edge of her bed, listening to her sister's words. "But?" She demanded.

"Jain has a mission from Hadyn's father. I didn't hear enough to know what it might be, but it sounded like he wanted to hurt you. I heard one part clearly. He planned for Hadyn to break down your heart's defenses and distract you by destroying my happiness."

Elsa's hand went up to her mouth, but her hand was shaking so much she couldn't fully cover her mouth without whacking her hand against her nose. Behind her hand, she asked, "What did they say then?"

Anna shook her head. "I don't know. They went inside after that. Plus, I could only hear bits and pieces. Oh, Elsa, don't you see what this means." She smiled. "Kristoff didn't cheat on me. It was all Jain trying to pollute my mind!"

Elsa felt happy for her sister. The misunderstanding was cleared up. However, her heart didn't feel as relieved as it should have been. Hadyn…she had been right about him from the beginning. This was all a game to him. She should have listened to her head. Elsa clenched her fists and tried to smile for her sister.

Anna, however, read right through her. Taking her older sister's hand, Anna exclaimed, "Oh, how can I be so unfeeling! It is my fault about Hadyn. I encouraged you to like him. If I hadn't…"

Elsa reached up and patted her sister's cheeks, hiding her discomfort. "Don't worry about it, Anna. All I want is your happiness. Yes, I'll admit I did like Hadyn a bit. But he did not reach deep enough into my heart to break it. He only scratched the surface, and I will be alright. What is more important is that you go talk to Kristoff. Explain everything. He was so worried about you when I saw him last night."

Anna grinned, but almost immediately buried her face in her hands. "Oh, but I'm so embarrassed! I was such an idiot. How can I face him? I should just dig a deep hole and bury my head in there!"

Laughing, Elsa hugged her sister. "Oh, Anna, stop! We'll go talk to him together then, alright?"

Anna nodded.

Ten minutes later, Elsa was dressed and they headed downstairs in search of Kristoff, swinging hands as they went. Anna was bounding again, something she hadn't done for quite a few days.

Suddenly, however, Anna froze and Elsa glanced around her to see Jain approaching. She felt Anna's grip on her hand tighten.

"Your majesty, your highness." Jain bowed. "I hope you slept well last night."

Anna opened her mouth, looking like she was about to verbally attack him, but Elsa tugged on her sister's hand. Luckily, Anna took the hint and kept her mouth shut.

"We are well. And you?" Elsa responded politely.

"Never better. However, I do have some bad news."

"What might that be?" Elsa returned.

Jain's eyebrows rose as he glanced between the sisters, perhaps wondering why Anna was acting so stiff. However, his words were directed towards Elsa. "It is about my cousin. A letter arrived early this morning calling him urgently back to our country. He left immediately."

Elsa followed Jain's action and raised her eyebrows. "Indeed. Why did you not go with him?"

Jain shrugged. "I thought someone should stay to attend the wedding. That is," he glanced pointedly at Anna, "If there is going to be a wedding."

Anna raised her nose indignantly in the air. "Yes, there will be. Thank you for your concern. Now, excuse us, we were just about to get something to eat."

Taking Elsa firmly by the hand, Anna pulled her away.

Once they were out of earshot, Anna burst out, "How can he be so brazen! I just want to wring his neck!"

Elsa shook her head, concerned. "Anna, you say you didn't hear what Jain's plan leads to."

"No, why?"

"Because something isn't right. Hadyn simply leaves, when his plan was to marry me. Something doesn't sit right."

"No, that's true. Maybe he felt guilty for lying to you," Anna suggested.

"Possibly," was the only word Elsa could think to say, though she didn't believe it herself. Brightening her face, she turned to her sister, "But, for now, let's go talk to Kristoff!"

Anna grinned and agreed.


	19. Chapter 19

**Author's Note: Hi, guys. I probably cannot formulate coherent thought because of how tired I am from working long hours this week, so please be patient with me. I'll get to the chapter in a little bit, but I've got a couple announcements. First, I will not be posting next week. I was hoping to find a way to find time, but I work in the morning next Saturday and then I have an event in the afternoon and evening. Thus, there will be no chapter next week. However, the following week the chapters will continue as always. I apologize for all you who are anxious to read the ending. Second, the ending is near! By my calculations (which might be wrong), we only have five chapters left. So, as always, thanks for the great reviews and advice and I will see you all next week!**

 **19\. Caught**

"We aren't saying you can change him 'cause people don't really change. We're only saying that love's a force that's powerful and strange."

–Frozen, Trolls

Elsa leaned back in her chair, closing her eyes against the harsh light of the blue sky. The cool air encircled her as she took in a deep breath.

"Are you sure you don't want to play?"

Elsa opened her eyes at her sister's voice, and focused on the game of crochet being played before her on the frozen lawn. Anna and Kristoff, having reunited and talked for several hours about what happened, had decided to set up more parties before the wedding. Elsa still couldn't believe that the wedding was only one week away, and preparations were in full swing. However, it felt as if something was missing. Elsa wondered why Hadyn returned home. She shook her head, telling herself to put him out of her mind.

Focusing on her sister a ways before her on the lawn, Elsa shook her head. "No thank you," she called, and Anna shrugged.

Whatever Elsa was feeling towards Hadyn, it didn't matter. What did matter was that Anna was happy. She was smiling today like she hadn't smiled since this whole craziness for the wedding had begun. Even fending off Lady Gabbri and her insistence on planning the wedding didn't deter Anna's spirit.

Speaking of Gabbri, Elsa was pulled out of her thoughts as the poodle herself flounced down on the seat beside her. Gabbri seemed to have acclimated herself to the fact that Elsa had powers and was not a monster, but she still acted a bit dismissive to the queen, considering Elsa did rule this place.

"Your majesty, there you are!" Gabbri exclaimed in her high-pitched, nasally voice, which sounded to Elsa as lovely as fingernails being run down a chalkboard.

Elsa nodded in acknowledgement, but kept her chin high as she regarded the puddle lady coldly. "Lady Gabbri, I hope you are well."

Gabbri waved a hand dismissively at the same moment Elsa noticed that she was breathing heavily. Perhaps she had been running.

"Oh, your majesty, I have been looking for you everywhere. For being the queen, it is amazing that no one seems to know where you are!"

Elsa didn't comment that, even if people knew where she was, they would hardly tell Gabbri. Instead, she said dryly, "If you have more ideas for the wedding, than you are wasting your breath. Everything in planned and set up."

Gabbri shook her head vehemently. "No, I mean, yes, but that can wait. After all, the tapestries are a disgrace. But no, I wanted to talk to you about Hadyn."

Elsa froze at the prince's name from rolling her eyes at Gabbri's previous comment, and stared at the young woman before her. "Pardon?"

Rubbing her hands together anxiously, Gabbri continued, "Well, I learned this morning that Hadyn left yesterday for his country. Honestly, I was shocked!"

"Indeed?" Elsa asked, keeping any hint of emotion from coming through her lips. "Why would you be? I believe he was called away for business in his country."

Gabbri rolled her eyes. "I don't believe it. Look, I know you've been around each other the last few days. I've seen you. Anyway, something is strange about it. Of course, you don't know Hadyn like I do. He's not the type to care about politics or the face of his family house. He's rebellious. Cute, but rebellious." She paused to sigh at some thought and then continued, as intense as ever. "But to leave because of business? Never!"

Elsa opened her mouth to respond dismissively, but Gabbri continued before she could.

"But that does raise a brilliant point. There I go again, saying brilliant things! I am just so brilliant all the time. Anyway, it does make me wonder why he came in the first place. You do not know how shocked I was to see him here when I arrived."

When Gabbri paused to take a breath, Elsa pointed out, "I believe his father commanded him to come."

Gabbri waved her hand again. "Nonsense. He's not the type to follow his father's orders. At first I thought he might be one of your suitors, but this is Hadyn we're talking about. He does not do anything he doesn't want to do and he most certainly would never want to marry you."

Elsa bit her lip and look away, feeling a wave of anger go through her. Yes, Hadyn had no reason to love her. He was just in a bet with his cousin on whether Elsa would marry him. He would never want to marry her. Rising pertly, Elsa clenched her fists. "If you will excuse me, I have a few things to do."

"But—" were the only words Elsa heard Gabbri emit before she was out of earshot.

She shouldn't be so upset about Hadyn. She should be happy about her sister. Everything was fixed. The wedding was proceeding without a hitch. The fire prince had only scratched her heart. And yet, she could not get him out of her head.

"My queen!"

Elsa jumped at the loud exclamation from across the gardens and glanced around for the source of the voice until her eyes landed on a small snowman bounding over. Despite her serious thoughts, Elsa couldn't help but smile. She noticed the basket he held in his stick hands.

"Olaf, what are you doing?" She asked.

Olaf pointed towards the town. "I'm taking some apples to a friend of mine in the stables. Care to come?"

Elsa agreed readily, pleased to have something to take her mind off a certain fire prince.

Olaf was someone who could put a smile on anyone's face. He was, surprisingly, Elsa's creation. That was another reason she couldn't understand her powers. She got that she could create snow and ice…but life? That seemed to be pushing it a bit. But still, she loved Olaf as if he was her younger brother.

The walk down to the stables went quickly as they chatted, pausing once in a while to greet citizens. Finally, as they entered the stables, Elsa queried, "Why are you bringing Sven these apples?"

Olaf shook his head. "I never said I was bringing Sven the apples."

"Oh. Then who are you bringing them too?" Elsa asked curiously. She was certain Olaf didn't regularly hang out with animals, especially since most of them wanted to steal his carrot nose.

"Shay is my newest best friend. But don't worry, you and Anna are still my bestest friends."

Elsa let out a laugh. "Shay?" She didn't know of any creature stabled here named Shay. Perhaps it was owned by one of the visiting dignitaries.

"Want to meet him?"

Olaf made his way inside the stables and into one of the stalls. As Elsa entered smiling, she felt her breath catch as she stared at the tall, Arabian horse before her.

One word escaped her lips. "Shaja'a."

Olaf walked over to the horse and set the basket before him. "Yep. That's his name, but I've given up trying to pronounce it. He really likes apples though."

A hundred thoughts went through Elsa's head as she stared at the animal before her. Shaja'a, Hadyn's beautiful stallion, stood before her. Why? It was clear Hadyn loved the animal. He had even said that he had brought the animal because it could not be left alone. And yet he had left it here…there was no way.

"What's wrong?" Olaf asked, seeming to realize she was upset.

Elsa could merely shake her head for a moment as her brain formulated reality. Jain's plan. Hadyn vanishing. Shaja'a being here alone.

She slowly placed a hand over her mouth as a horrifying realization dawned on her. "He's killed him, hasn't he?"

Olaf calmly looked at her. "Well, it's just an apple. It doesn't mind being eaten."

Elsa shook her head. "Olaf, this is bad."

"Hmm?"

Elsa turned and hurried out of the stall.

"Where are you going?" Olaf called.

"To get answers." Elsa headed directly towards Jain's room, both furious and horrified. This was not happening in her castle! If Jain had hurt Hadyn in any way, there would be hell to pay.


	20. Chapter 20

**Author's Note: Thank you all for your patience, as I didn't post last week, but I'm back. I'm a little feverish (I have a cold), so forgive me if I don't sound coherent. I hope you guys had a great St. Patrick's Day, and are less delirious than I. I wrote this chapter when I was delirious, so forgive me if it's a bit strange. Anyway, I'll get to the chapter and, as always, let me know what you think.**

 **20\. Caught**

"People will beat you and curse you and cheat you. Every one of em's bad, except you."

—Frozen, Kristoff

"Jain, are you in here?" Elsa was nearly shouted as she pounded on Hadyn's cousin's door. She was furious, distraught. A thousand thoughts were running through her head like horses galloping. It had been twenty minutes since she had discovered Hadyn's horse alone in his stall. During those minutes, she had checked Hadyn's room—only to find it empty—and asked the servants about the last time Hadyn was seen. According to everyone, no one saw him leave. However, a couple servants said they had seen Jain moving bags out of Hadyn's room.

There was a sinking notion in Elsa's head that Hadyn was dead. She shook her head. No. He couldn't be dead; he just couldn't. She felt unwanted tears spring into her eyes, which she shook away quickly.

Olaf peeked around the corner from down the hall where Elsa had warned him to wait. She had no idea how dangerous this Lord Jain might be and she did not want anyone in her castle put in danger due to him. She gripped her fists and told herself that, if Anna were ever to marry again, she would make sure it was a private wedding.

The door cracked open and Jain's head appeared. He looked tired, as if he had been asleep, and his black hair was rustled and unkempt. The only thing he wore was a loose white tunic and black tights.

"Your majesty, what brings you here?" Jain appeared calm.

Elsa was not so calm. However, she told herself to take a deep breath. She had no idea how dangerous this man was. After all, he had lied to her and Anna numerous times. And he might have killed Hadyn as well. There was no knowing what this man might be capable of. By all rights, she should not even be facing him like this. And yet, she was the ice queen and his powers of persuasion and sword could not possibly equate to her powers of ice and snow.

Thus, she levied her gaze and stated calmly, "Where is your cousin?"

Jain didn't change his carefree expression. The only change was a slight smile which appeared on his lips. "My cousin? But I told you a couple days ago that—"

"I did not ask you what you told me, Lord Jain," Elsa interrupted. "I asked you where is your cousin? What did you do to him? And before you deny it, I know that it was you who moved his belongings out of his room and you who lied to us that he was gone. He is not. Now," She took a step closer, narrowing her eyes at him as ice crept up her hand, "I will ask you only one more time: where is your cousin?"

Jain's eyes fell towards her icy hands as his lips slowly lowered. Absently, almost towards himself than to her, he murmured, "Oh, how far lovers fall if they fly too high on the wings of love."

"What?"

He looked up at her, his smile returning. "You wish to see my cousin." He gestured inside his room. "He is waiting for you, I am sure."

Elsa didn't move for a second, her mind filled with thoughts and predictions. There was no way she believed him, and yet what did she have to fear with her power. Even the shackles Hans placed on her hands could be cracked. She briefly glanced at Olaf, who was still watching her. If anything happened, he would go get help. She knew he would. Turning to look back at Jain, she nodded and entered his room.

As she entered, she made a quick survey of the room, staring in wonder before her. At the end of Jain's bed, between the fireplace and the balcony, stood a large shimmering orb, near eight feet in diameter. Inside that orb lay a crumbled figure, covered in a dark cape. She took a step closer, squinting her eyes in the dark light. It was hard to see, as Jain had pulled all his curtains shut as if to destroy all light. And yet, from the fire's soft light, she could just make out who the person was as he looked up at her.

"Hadyn!" She exclaimed, so shocked she almost didn't hear Jain quietly shut the door behind her.

Hadyn seemed to be struggling to his feet, but he looked pale, gaunt. What had Jain done to him? The fire prince banged against the orb with his hands, his mouth moving as if he was shouting and yet Elsa couldn't make out any sound.

She turned on Jain. "What have you done to him?"

Jain silently locked the door before turning to her, a bright smile on his face.

She felt a shiver go down her back. There was no possible way that Jain had something which could hold someone with magic. It explained why he was able to overpower Hadyn. She just wasn't sure if that meant he could overpower her as well.

Lord Jain raised his hands in surrender, but for some reason it felt more as if he were mocking her. "No, your majesty, please don't jump to any conclusions. I have not hurt him at all. He is only a bit hungry."

"You have been starving him," Elsa accused, glancing back at Hadyn. He seemed to continue to shout, pointing franticly towards Jain and then towards the door. Perhaps he was telling her to get out. However, she ignored him.

"Not starving him, I promise you. It is he who refuses to eat. I know you wish to protect him." Jain took a step closer. "And I see now that you are in love with him."

"Stay back," Elsa growled quietly, raising her hand as sparks of ice shot out of her fingertips and cascaded harmlessly to the floor. She didn't want to hurt him, but she would if she had to.

Jain stopped just out of arm's reach from her. "Did you not wonder why he proposed to you? He never really wanted to marry you. No, I know you want to believe he loves you, but he does not. He only sees you as a game; a challenge. Not I…I see what you could truly be."

"And what might that be?"

Jain gestured towards the covered windows. "Look out at your kingdom. All that land is yours. All those people are yours to do with as you please. But have you not ever wanted more? With me, we could rule the world. Shoot down anyone who opposes us. I have the brain, and you have that amazing power. Together, we could rule the world. Nothing would be out of reach. You could protect your sister, those you love. No one would be hurt because of you again. All you must do is listen to me."

Elsa let out a soft laugh, as the puzzle pieces fit together slowly in her mind. Everything Jain had done and had said made sense. More confidently than before, Elsa stated, "You know, you must be the most pathetic person I have ever met."

She had hoped to throw him off his secure balance of confidence, and it worked. His smile vanished, replaced by a tight-lipped grimace.

Elsa continued before he could speak. "I see it now. You have just a pathetic weakling vying for more power. You are a fool. You think by destroying me, by destroying your cousin, maybe even by gaining a throne or two, that you will be happy. But lust for power does not work like that. The most you gain, the more your lust grows. It is like a hunger which can never be satisfied. You have hurt so many people that it is probably impossible to rectify your actions now. And yet you do not understand. That lust…it is like fear. Trust me, I know all about fear. The idea that you will never be free of the shackles which you were born with. That is why you are a fool. You cannot change the world, just as much as you cannot control it. You can only learn to change your outlook on the world."

Jain closed his eyes and his head leaned back to face the ceiling. It was as if he wasn't listening to her any longer. As if he was blocking out all sound. After a moment of silence, he began to chuckle softly. When he looked back at her, his eyes were dark and when he spoke, his voice was deep and slow.

"That was the wrong answer."

He held up his hand, which appeared to hold a device. Silently, he clicked something on it.

One moment Elsa was staring at him, and the next she felt herself surrounded with bright lights. Nothing was visible as she felt a great pressure hit her chest. She was thrown backwards, and where she landed felt soft.

"Elsa! Elsa!"

She opened her eyes, realizing she was lying down. Arms grabbed her shoulders and pulled her up to a sitting position. As her vision cleared, she stared into Hadyn's red eyes.

"Elsa, you idiot!" He exclaimed, his voice extremely hoarse.

She glanced past him, and realized what must have happened. Jain had put her inside the orb somehow. A misty film surrounded her and Hadyn.

From outside, she saw Jain calmly approach the orb.

"Now, don't worry, your majesty," he said. "Unlike my cousin, you won't be inside there too long. I have one more thing to do, now that you two are tied up. I won't be late. After all, it wouldn't do to have your pretty little sister coming to look for you. You two stay there—who am I kidding, of course you would have to stay there."

Chuckling to himself at his own joke, Jain left the room.

Elsa scrambled to her feet, leaving Hadyn behind on the ground. Banging her fists against the orb, she shouted for help.

Instead of stopping her, Hadyn merely sat in silence before she gave up and collapsed to the ground.

Finally, she turned to Hadyn. "You have been here for the last two days, haven't you?"

Hadyn remained silent. His lips looked cracked and his face gaunt. She could see beads of sweat running slowly down his cheeks.

Elsa moved over to kneel next to him in the small space, placing her hand on his forehead. "You're burning up."

Hadyn smiled slightly, and then grunted, possibly because the smile hurt his lips. "I haven't slept much."

"Oh, Hadyn, why would you let Jain imprison you like this! After all the talk to me about how powerful you are."

"As if you can talk. Who also ended up in here?"

Elsa rolled her eyes. "I was coming to rescue you, you dimwit. And how was I to know he had a something which could trap us?"

Hadyn shook his head, pushing her hand off his forehead. "Elsa, I'm too tired to argue."

Elsa's brow furrowed. He did not look well at all. They had to find a way to get out of here before they both ended up dead.


	21. Chapter 21

**Author's Note: Hi, guys, and Happy Easter! Thank you for your patience this week and I know I'm a day late. I did announce it on my profile, but I didn't think to mention it in last week's chapter. My job was crazy this past week because of Easter (the problem of working in retail). I was so exhausted I could barely eat, much less write. So, I apologize. But this chapter is twice the length of most of my chapters, so that's makes up for my lateness a bit. Right? (Please don't hate me!) Anyway, there's just a few chapters left (four if my calculations are correct), so we are almost to the end (I feel like I say that a lot). As always, let me know what you guys think and I will see you all next week!**

 **21.**

"You don't have to live in fear. 'Cause for the first time in forever, I will be right here."

—Frozen, Anna

From across the room, Elsa heard the door creak open. She expected Jain to reenter, but instead a small snowman appeared.

"Olaf!"

Elsa jumped to her feet and hurried to the edge of the orb. Hadyn didn't move.

Olaf must have seen her, as he hurried over and tapped against the orb.

"Elsa!" He exclaimed. "What are you doing playing around in there? And, a better question is, can I join you?" Clearly he did not understand the gravity of the situation.

Elsa rolled her eyes, trying not to panic or hit herself over the head for underestimating Jain. Shaking her head, she nearly shouted, "No, Olaf, you have to get help. Go find Anna and Kristoff."

Olaf merely tilted his head. He reached up with his stick finger and shoved it into the side of his head which might have been where his ears might be. "It may just be me," he stated slowly, "But your mouth is moving and no words are coming out."

"What?" Elsa raised her voice. "Olaf, go find Anna. You have to—"

"He can't hear you." Hadyn's soft voice interrupted her yelling.

She turned to him and he continued.

"The shield keeps our powers and voices inside. Nothing can be heard from outside."

From behind her, Olaf was still talking, "You could try to speak really slowly and I can read your lips. You know, in my time sailing the seven seas, I have grown quite proficient in the talent of lip reading."

Elsa turned back to her little snowman and mouthed the words _Go get Anna_ slowly _._

Olaf stared intently as she spoke and, when she stopped, he nodded excitedly. "I got it!"

Elsa let out a sigh. Good, everything would be fine.

"You said, 'Oh, my banana.' Did you lose a banana? Or are you craving bananas? Either way, I can go find some."

Elsa face palmed. Seriously. And he said he was proficient in lip reading. She grasped at thought straws in her head to figure out a solution. The absence of paper and pen presented her with an apparent incomparable problem with no clear answer. How was she to communicate with Olaf?

"Give up," Hadyn commented dryly. "It's too late."

Elsa rounded on him, sparks of ice escaping her fingertips. "What bogus nonsense are you spouting, Hadyn? Who was the one who never admitted he was wrong? Who argued with me about everything? Who flirted and laughed like he had nothing to worry about?"

Hadyn narrowed his eyes. "Elsa, my own cousin just betrayed me. Give me a moment to wallow in my own self-pity for not realizing what a despicable bastard a man I considered to be my brother was. Alright?" Though his voice was light, Elsa could sense he was angry. She didn't know how close he might be to Jain, but she could only imagine how it would feel like to have someone betray him who was close to him as much as Anna was to her.

She wanted to comfort him, but she didn't know why. Elsa smiled gently. "You are so dramatic, Hadyn."

"Who's the ice queen who throws ice out of her fingertips if she gets too emotional? Neither of us can be pointing fingers." She couldn't be sure, but there seemed to be a shadow of a smile flicker across Hadyn's lips.

She was about to protest when an idea came to her. _Ice out of her fingertips._ It might work. Looking back at Olaf, she raised her fingers. Slowly, she drew the words _Go get Anna to help_ in the air with ice. Surprisingly, the letters remained suspended in the air for several minutes, frozen.

"Oh!" Olaf exclaimed. "You want me to go get help. Well, then why were you going on about bananas? That is urgency, Elsa, urgency!"

With that, he waddled quickly out of the room.

Elsa collapsed on the bottom of the orb, sighing deeply. She glanced over at her fellow cellmate. Hadyn still didn't look good, but what could she expect if he was in here for two days without food or water?

On one hand, she didn't want to bother him with questions when he was so sick. But then again, she wanted answers more. "Hadyn, would you please explain to me what is going on? Why is Jain doing this?"

Hadyn shrugged. "Power, it seems. You are a threat, I am a threat. Everyone is apparently a threat to me cousin."

"Yes, I got that. But…" she paused, not sure if he would be offended or not if she continued with her thought. "But do you think your father was involved."

Hadyn bit his lip. Instead of answering her question, he changed the subject, glancing out of the orb at the fireplace. "You know, I thought things would end up so differently if I came here."

Elsa didn't say anything.

"How much do you know?" He asked after a moment of silence.

"About what? Your bet with Jain to get me to marry you? Your decision to go back home? Or simply the fact that Jain is about to kill us for power?"

"Everything, I suppose. Especially my father's plan to send me here as a distraction while my cousin plotted to kill you."

His voice sounded dangerously calm, not the passionate, transparent fire prince she had grown to…like, yes, just like.

"I'm not angry at you, if that is what you are worried about," Elsa said plainly.

Hadyn raised an eyebrow. "Really? I would have thought you would be furious."

Elsa shrugged. He was probably right; she should be more upset than she was. "I knew this was all a game for you from the beginning. So it wasn't exactly a surprise to discover your bet with Lord Jain. And you were just another pawn in his scheme."

"A game?" Hadyn's calm façade seemed to shatter in a moment, as literal sparks of flame emanated from his hands. And he said _she_ had issues controlling her power. "You really still think that's all it is. Maybe, at first it was a game, but now…" he paused, scooting forward to sit in front of her. His intense red eyes looked into hers. "It's so different now."

"Indeed? Do you suppose we can discuss this later? Jain might be back any moment and—"

"No," Hadyn interrupted before she could finish her thought. "I don't know how much time we have left, and I don't want to die without you knowing the truth. When I arrived here, it was for the soul purpose of appeasing my father. I made the bet with Jain merely to pass the time, and maybe get his influence with my father to aid me in getting rid of raiders in my country. But when I met you, it was as if the bet faded from my mind. I went from hating the fact that my father sent me here to anticipating each time I could talk with you. I liked you from the first moment you opened your mouth. You were repressed and intelligent and beautiful and so much more incredible than you realized."

"Hadyn, you don't have to—"

"I love you."

Elsa didn't bother to finish her sentence. She felt completely taken aback as a thousand thoughts went through her head. First and foremost, was he being serious?

"Hadyn, I—"

He reached across the space, wrapping his hand around the nap of her neck and pulling her close. Energy exploded between them as he kissed her.

Elsa was so shocked she didn't even move. That intense feeling exploded, even more extreme than when their hands touched. For all his intensity, though, Hadyn touched her so gently.

"Well, well, the tragic lover's final kiss."

Hadyn and Elsa broke apart and both turned in unison to see Jain standing before them. He must have entered the room without them even noticing.

Climbing to his feet painfully, Hadyn stood facing his cousin. Elsa rose behind him, her heart beating so widely she could hardly decipher what was up or down. Her lips tingled.

"Jain," Hadyn snarled.

Lord Jain let out a soft laugh. "You seem to be feeling much better, my little cousin. I am glad. Now, forgive me for my abrupt departure, but I had to get something."

He reached into his coat pocket and withdrew a small device. It looked similar to the one he had used to place Elsa inside the orb, but it was thinner, almost like a wand.

"Don't worry, I can hear you perfectly right now," Jain continued, fiddling with the device. "Any last words?"

Hadyn answered immediately. "Jain, let Elsa go. You want power, then just kill me. If I'm dead, Father will make you his heir. Think about it, what can you gain from killing a queen so far north? Even if she dies, her sister becomes ruler. There is nothing for you here."

"I thought about that," Jain responded, slowly pacing in front of the orb. "But then again I can hardly have someone witness my brother's death. I don't want to kill her anymore, you will be surprised to hear, but what other choice do I have?"

Elsa narrowed her eyes in anger. This man was truly despicable, wasn't he? And a liar. She didn't trust a word he said.

Hadyn responded to his cousin, "She won't say anything." He glanced back at Elsa, giving her a meaningful look. "She will forget about us."

"I most certainly will no—" Elsa started.

Hadyn reached back and clapped a hand over her mouth as the electric current flew between them again. He seemed to ignore it and pulled her closer, whispering fiercely into her ear, "I'm trying to save you."

"I won't watch you die when I could save you," Elsa whispered just as fiercely, pushing his hand away from her mouth.

Hadyn gave her a dark look. "Look, if it goes the way I plan, we'll both make it out alive. Don't worry, I have a plan. Do you trust me?"

Elsa stared up a moment into his eyes, looking for a glimpse of hope. He seemed so sure that she wanted to believe him. What had changed? Just a moment before he was so hopeless and now he seemed like a tower of strength. Usually, there was a voice screaming in her head not to trust him. But that voice was silent now. Slowly, she nodded.

A smile passed Hadyn's lips, though it vanished as he released her and turned to his cousin.

"She agrees," Hadyn stated.

Jain smirked. "Indeed? And what makes you think I'd believe you?"

Elsa took her cue and jumped into the conversation. "Because I simply want peace. I want you both out of my kingdom. Yes, I admit that I was attracted to your cousin, but anything else you believe I feel for him is in your vivid imagination. I am disgusted looking at your face and if his death means I never have to see you again, then I'm willing to stand by and let you kill him."

She said it with such certainty, and yet her head was screaming that it was all a lie. She didn't want to see him hurt, and yet if he had a plan…

Luckily, Jain seemed convinced. Perhaps he was not as intelligent as she first thought he was. He laughed. "My, my, Hadyn, there is your beloved, breaking your heart. It can't be helped, you know." He shrugged and reached forward, cutting a thin cut into the orb.

Hadyn and Elsa stepped back in unison.

A small doorway appeared in the orb, just enough for a person to get through.

"Now, Hadyn," Jain continued, "If you will be so kind as to come out for your execution, I will make it quick so the queen may be on her way."

Hadyn didn't even glance back at Elsa, but she felt his hand squeeze hers gently before he let it go and exited the orb slowly. The moment he was out, Jain waved the device again and the opening in the orb vanished, leaving Elsa trapped inside.

Now, the two cousins stood before each other, no magic wall between them.

Jain put the wand back inside his jacket and stated, "Hold still, Hadyn, this will not hurt for long. And remember, you move and your beloved dies."

To Elsa's surprise, Jain lifted his hand. He held no weapon, no possible way to kill Hadyn and yet he stood with no fear. It was only when Elsa observed strands of fire seeping out of his fingers that she realized what was happening.

Jain had to power of fire just as much as his cousin and his grandfather did. Elsa stared in shock, glancing momentarily towards Hadyn to see his reaction.

For his part, Hadyn looked just as shocked as her and immediately Elsa realized that Hadyn was as unaware of his cousin's power as she was. Whatever Hadyn's plan had been, it was obliterated by Jain's single move. What was she to do to help now, trapped inside that magical prison?

"Now, cousin." Jain's voice was soft and dangerous. "It's the end."

Elsa clutched at the side of the orb, her eyes shutting in hopes of not seeing what would happen next.


	22. Chapter 22

**Author's Note: Hi, guys! Welcome back to _Thawed_. We are so close to the end I can almost taste it. So, I'm a little late in posting this, but it's because all morning I was writing another book so I didn't have time for this one until an hour ago (yes, I wrote this in an hour). I don't know if you guys have ever had this happen, but I'll randomly have a day when I'll write, like, five thousand words in a few hours. I have a bit of an addiction to writing. Better than caffeine, I guess. Anyway, this may seem like the end, but there's a little bit left of the story (only two chapters!). As always, let me know what you guys think and I will be back with another chapter next Saturday!**

 **22\. Water**

"It is not nice to throw people!"

—Frozen, Anna

Elsa heard a bang, followed by a shout. Her eyes flew up, seeing a very different scene before her than she expected. Kristoff flew into the room after throwing open the door, and literally threw himself at Jain—a noble move—knocking him back on the floor. Fire flew out of Jain's hand, but it was off its mark due to Kristoff, and merely hit the ceiling above Hadyn's head. Hadyn, following the tussling pair, raising his hand as fire flew from his fingertips. It appeared Kristoff was trying to keep Jain from using his power and Hadyn was trying to hit his cousin with fire but couldn't because he might hit Kristoff. It was such a mess. Elsa turned away.

She glanced around, looking for some way out of her prison. Just when she thought there was no way she could help, she noticed something shining on the floor where Jain had been standing seconds before. It was the wand device. He must have dropped it when Kristoff tackled him, but that didn't help Elsa much as she had no way of getting to it.

At that moment, Anna flew through the door from whence Kristoff had just come, followed quickly by Olaf. Both of them were panting.

"Anna!" Elsa shouted, though she was certain her sister couldn't hear her words.

"Oh, my!" Olaf voiced watching the fighting men, while Anna ran over to the edge of the orb.

"Elsa!" Anna exclaimed, placing her hands on the orb against where Elsa's hands were placed. "Are you alright?"

Elsa shook her head, pointing franticly towards the device lying on the floor.

Anna looked behind her. Unlike Olaf, she was quick at catching on. Hurrying over to pick up the wand, she turned back to Elsa.

Olaf, meanwhile, seemed to be enjoying the fight as he pretended to punch the air, shouting, "Go, Kristoff, get that loser! Punch him in the face!"

Anna reached her sister, fiddling with the wand. "How do I work this thing?"

She must have pressed a button, as a slice appeared in the orb above Elsa's head.

"Down! Down!" Elsa shouted.

Anna jumped. "Wow! No need to shout. I can hear you!"

Elsa had forgotten that Jain could hear them too when he held it. Strange, it must let anyone hear through the orb.

Trying to calm herself down but still panicking, Elsa tried to walk her sister through how to cut the orb while still glancing over at the three men fighting.

It didn't look good. Jain was sending fire out of his hand which was destroying most of the room. Hadyn's fire wasn't hurting Jain at all. And Kristoff looked like he was losing his grip on Jain.

Finally, Anna figured the device out and made a quick cut in the orb's shield. As she did so, Elsa saw Jain throw Kristoff off him and shoot fire at her sister's fiancé.

It hit Kristoff in the chest and he flew against the wall, hitting it hard and then collapsing on the floor.

"No!" Anna yelled, dropping the wand and running over to her fiancé.

Luckily, the cut had been enough and Elsa squeezed out of the orb, falling on her knees once she was out.

Fire flew everywhere now that Hadyn and Jain were both uninhibited. The two cousins seemed matched in powers, but Jain still seemed to be winning. Elsa could only imagine it was because Hadyn was so weak from lack of food and water. At this rate, he wouldn't be able to defeat his cousin.

Elsa raced forward towards to fight. She focused intently, trying to manage her powers. Hadyn may not be able to defeat Jain alone, but together they might be able to.

Just as she headed for the fight, a flash of fire hit Hadyn's arm. He gasped in pain, dropping down behind a couch while Jain found cover behind a wardrobe. Elsa kept her head low and hurried over to Hadyn, going on her knees next to him.

"Hadyn, are you alright?"

His arm looked slightly burned, but luckily the wound didn't look too deep.

Hadyn nodded his head. "I'm fine. Elsa, you've got to get out of here."

"No," Elsa responded firmly. "This is my fight as much as yours. He's the person who is trying to destroy my kingdom. Besides, you are in no condition to be fighting anyone. If anyone is to get out of here, it's you."

Hadyn leaned over and touched her cheek with his hand. His hand was burning hot. "I'm sorry about all this."

Jain threw a bolt of fire at the couch, catching it on fire.

Elsa rolled her eyes. "Hadyn, we can discuss this later. Now, we fight."

She rose up to stand, focusing all the ice power she could on Jain. At the same moment, he moved out of his cover and focused his fire on her. A constant bolt of fire and ice came from their hands, meeting each other's power in the middle of the space. Sparks flew everywhere in ice and fire. Elsa narrowed her eyes, pushing with all the power she could muster. Jain similarly did the same. But neither seemed to be getting anywhere.

Jain remained constant, but Elsa felt herself weakening. She had not practiced her powers enough to be able to focus them for this long. She was untrained, undisciplined. Hadyn had been right. In that moment, she realized she could not defeat Jain alone.

Suddenly, she felt a hand grab hers tightly.

She glanced over as Hadyn stood beside her, his red eyes flaring. She felt that strange electricity when they touched, but now it felt stronger, stranger.

Elsa felt a current drive up her arm from his hand through her chest, making her heart beat ten times faster, and over to the hand out of which her ice current was coming. In a second, the thing coming out of her hand was not ice, but water.

She stared at the substance and realized only one thing must be happening. Her powers and Hadyn's were combining. Fire and ice created water. Water powerful enough to defeat any fire.

Elsa's blue eyes flashed as she focused all the power she had.

Jain stared in horror as the torrent of water broke through his fire. "No!" He shouted.

"Get out of my kingdom!" Elsa shouted in return.

Jain's fire collapsed and the torrent of water hit him. Oddly enough, he didn't get blown away. Instead, he simply froze, as happened with Anna when Elsa had frozen her heart. But he only remained frozen for a second, before exploding into a million pieces. Fire and ice, it appeared, were a lethal force.

Hadyn grabbed Elsa and pulled her down behind the couch as millions of shards flew everywhere, embedding themselves into anything they could find.

Elsa grasped for breath, feeling her heart slow.

Hadyn grabbed her face in his hands, forcing her to look at him. "Are you alright?" He demanded, his voice hoarse and tired.

Elsa nodded slowly. "I—I—we did it."

Hadyn let out a sigh of relief, letting Elsa go and collapsing against the couch. "Bloody hell, that was insane."

"Yes, it was." Elsa couldn't believe Jain was gone. She had killed him, but she hadn't seen another way to save her sister.

Her sister!

"Anna!" Elsa exclaimed, rising and moving over to her sister, who still sat beside Kristoff.

Anna was sobbing as she cradled Kristoff's head in her lap. "Elsa, is he alright? He's so hot."

Elsa would have laughed at the double meaning of her sister's words if she did not realize how serious the situation was. Feeling Kristoff's forehead, she realized Anna was right: Kristoff was burning up.

"Anna." Elsa tried to stay as calm as possible, though she felt unwanted tears fly to her eyes. Had Jain win after all? Was Kristoff beyond hope?

Hadyn knelt down beside Elsa, reaching over to feel Kristoff.

"He's been hit in the heart with a fire bolt."

"Yes, we saw," Elsa stated cynically. "Is there any way to help him?"

Hadyn shook his head. "I know this power well. I've…I've used it to kill bandits. I have never known of a cure."

"No!" Anna shouted, leaning her head on Kristoff's shoulder and shaking him. "No! He can't be dying! I won't let him! Kristoff, wake up. Please don't leave me. I love you so much. I don't want to live without you. Please, I'm so sorry for doubting you. There are so many things I want to say to you. So many things I want to do with you! I want to visit your troll family. I want to go riding on Sven with you. Please, come back!"

Tears fell down Anna's and Elsa's eyes in unison. Elsa placed her hand gently on Kristoff's heart.

If there was no way to save Kristoff, perhaps there would be no reason not to try to warm his heart. If fire could burn his heart, maybe ice could warm it again.

She closed her eyes, gently pressing her ice power into Kristoff. Slowly, so slowly. _Please, don't die, Kristoff,_ she murmured in her head. _My sister needs you._ Under her hand's pressue, she felt Kristoff's heart beating quickly, but as her ice fell into him, his heart slowed. Once it seemed to be a normal pace, she stopped her powers and removed her hand.

Elsa felt Kristoff's forehead. It was warm, but not hot anymore. Could he be…?

"He's dead!" Olaf sobbed behind Hadyn dramatically. "I would like to say a speech at the funeral, if I may. He was a great friend of mine, even if he did threaten to feet my nose to his reindeer. He was a brave man, though he did burp too much."

"If you don't shut you, I _will_ feed your nose to Sven." The voice came from Kristoff.

Anna raised her head as Kristoff's eyes flickered open.

"Hell, I have a horrid headache!" Kristoff stated through gritted teeth, his hand moving up to rub his temple as he attempted to sit up.

"Kristoff?" Anna said, tears and slobber all over her face. "You're alive."

Kristoff glanced over at his fiancé, smiling up at her and gently reaching over to wipe a tear off her cheek. "Come on, darling, if you want to kill me, you're going to have to do a better job than that."

"Ohhh, Kristoff!" Anna threw her arms around his neck and started crying all anew. Olaf moved over and joined them for a group hug.

Elsa smiled, leaning back on her heels. It was over. Kristoff was alive. Jain was gone. And Hadyn…

She glanced over at the fire prince.

Hadyn was watching her. When their eyes met, a slight smile crossed his lips. However, it soon vanished, replaced with a grimace. Slowly, Hadyn bowed his head, rose to his feet, and exited the room.

Elsa watched him go, not sure how to react. He suddenly seemed so cold, so distant. What had changed from several minutes before, when he had told her he loved her?

Feeling her heart ache, Elsa watched him go before she was dragged into a group hug by her sister, soon-to-be brother-in-law, and strange snowman.


	23. Chapter 23

**Author's Note: Hi, guys! This is the second-to-last chapter. I'm so excited to be done with this story, but I'll also miss writing it. It's like parting with dear friends (a.k.a., my characters. Yes, I have issues.). Anyway, this isn't the action-packed chapter like last week's. Instead, it's much more thoughtful. However, I hope it explains exactly why Hadyn simply walked out in the previous chapter. As always, let me know what you guys think and I'll see you all next week for the final chapter!**

 **23\. Tomorrows**

"I know it all ends tomorrow, so it has to be today."

—Frozen, Anna

The sun stung Hadyn's eyes. It was the sun. It wasn't his eyes, weary from lack of sleep. Without a second thought, he stomped over to the window and roughly pulled the blinds closed, cursing that the sun had to rise every morning. Darkness would be better.

He rubbed his eyes, glancing back at his satchel. It was almost packed.

Bong! Bong!

The town bells rang loudly, a deep resonance which echoed through his sparse room.

Knock. Knock.

Hadyn turned, clenching his jaw. "Who is it?"

"Hadyn, I'm coming in."

The male voice sounded through the door and, a moment later, Kristoff slipped into the room. He was dressed in a suit, his blond hair slicked back. He looked nothing like the disorganized, reindeer-loving fellow that he was.

Hadyn bowed his head. "Kristoff, shouldn't you be preparing for the ceremony?"

Kristoff rolled his eyes, closing the door behind him and crossing his arms. "We need to talk."

"Oh?" Hadyn queried. "Would you care for a drink?"

"No."

Hadyn shrugged. "Well, I need one." He moved over to a table and poured himself a glass of whiskey.

"Hadyn, the girls told me everything."

Hadyn paused in pouring the glass. "Indeed? How fascinating." His tone was bored.

"I know you were the one who cleared up the misunderstanding between Anna and I. I wanted to thank you for that."

"No need to thank me," Hadyn commented dryly. "I was the one who brought Jain here and it was he who made this mess. So it was my fault anyway."

Kristoff snorted. "You enjoy taking all the blame, don't you? But you know it's not your fault. Your father's, maybe. Jain's, yes. But yours? No way. But you know what is your fault?"

"That is a lot of buts." Hadyn smiled cynically, taking a sip of the drink. "Tell me, what is my fault?"

"It has been a week since Jain's death, and you've hurt Elsa more in this week than Jain ever could."

Hadyn glanced up at the groom, narrowing his eyes.

"She cares about you. And, for some reason, she believes you cared for her to. I heard her telling Anna that you said you loved her. And now what? You've been avoiding her, staying in your room as much as possible, and moping about your sad fate. I would expect that from a coward, but not from you. After you professed your love for her, why are you acting so coldly?"

Hadyn didn't answer, simply turning away and clenching the table's rim until his knuckles shone white. His breath rattled with anger, but he kept his mouth shut.

"I don't get it. If you care for someone, you do whatever's best for them."

"Exactly." Hadyn's voice rose.

"How is you ignoring Elsa going to help her?"

"Because I'm not good for her. You don't know anything about the person I was back home. I'm a killer. I go out hunting bandits instead of learning how to run a country. I'm irresponsible. I have a quick temper. I can never stay in one place for too long. I'm everything Elsa does not need. She needs stability."

Kristoff snorted. "Is anyone really stable, though? I mean, seriously. It sounds to me as if you're afraid because you've never cared for someone as much as you care for Elsa." He walked forward, putting a hand on Hadyn's shoulder. "Did I ever tell you about how I realized I loved Anna?"

Hadyn didn't shrug the hand off, merely shaking his head.

"I was leaving. I was leaving her to marry her prince charming. But then I turned back. I went back for her, not because I knew I was right for her, but because I preferred being wrong with her than being right without her. I didn't want her to be hurt, and if she was, I would be hurt with her. Being alone is so lonely. I had Sven, but he was quiet and not half as annoying as Anna. She talks a lot, if you hadn't noticed."

A smile flickered on Hadyn's face.

Loud calls came from some distance away, faintly calling Kristoff's name.

Hadyn shook Kristoff's hand off. "You should go. It's your wedding."

Kristoff rolled his eyes. "You're so frustrating." He whacked Hadyn on the back of the head. "Come to your senses and don't run away. You make it seem as if you're incapable of settling down, when it's a choice. Your choice. So make it while I try to escape the hairstylist. See ya at the ceremony!"

He turned and hurried to the door, looking back when he reached it. "And, Hadyn, please take a bath, you smell like you've been sleeping in a barn for weeks. I should know. I've done it enough." Winking, the groom vanished.

Hadyn smiled and rolled his eyes. He hadn't realized until now just how perfect Kristoff and Anna were for each other. They were both crazy.

His smile quickly vanished, however, as his eyes drifted back to his bag, still open on his bed. His plans were to pack. To get out of Elsa's life. She'd be hurt, but surely she didn't like him that much. She'd get over him. If he stayed, he'd just hurt her more.

Hadyn brushed a hand through his greasy black hair. What an idiot he'd been! Kristoff was right. He'd pursued Elsa vigorously, and at the first sign of her touching his heart, he had run. It was something he'd always done. He'd run from his father after his mother's death. He'd run from his responsibilities when his father wanted him to start learning politics. He'd ignored all of Jain's problems so he didn't have to deal with any of it. And look what happened there.

He shut his eyes, remembering a memory he hadn't thought about for years. A desert where two young boys played, wrestling as a tall beauty watched them. Hadyn's mother. Jain had been a young boy with such talent. He was always the smart one. Jain had the intellect; Hadyn had the brawn. They were a perfect pair. They could get out of any trouble together.

Then Hadyn's mother died. He'd shut everyone out of his life. Even Jain.

What would have changed if he hadn't?

"I'm sorry, Jain," Hadyn murmured.

Jain had been as hurt as he was. He was as fearful too. After everything that had happened, Hadyn still couldn't blame his cousin. Hadyn's father had turned him into a monster with years of pressure and neglect. If Hadyn had known, could he have saved him?

Hadyn moved over to the window, peaking out of the curtains into the blazing sun. Snow shown in the garden before him. Elsa's ice sculptures dotted the garden. His focus turned to one of them: the horse. He remembered the day he'd first shown her his powers. How surprised she had been. And yet, that day what had he felt? That it was a game? And yet, she impressed him.

He shook his head, about to close to curtain again. However, he caught a sparkle of light.

Elsa walked slowly in the garden, donned in an elegant ice blue gown which sparkled in the morning sun. She was beautiful.

At that moment, she glanced up at the castle. Hadyn closed the curtain, hoping she hadn't seen him watching her.

His feet stepped back, taking him with them. Turning away from the window, he walked past his mirror. His reflection looked like a mess. Dark circles ran under his eyes. Again, Kristoff was right. He needed a bath.

The thought that he smelled as if he'd slept in a barn for a week made him smile. Kristoff was hilarious, as was his fiancé. They'd welcomed him so easily. Given him their friendship without asking anything in return. He'd never experienced that before.

And Elsa…she'd been so guarded, and yet she had always cared. Even after she learned about the bet, she'd come to save him. Actually, he should rephrase that: she did save him. She was uncontrolled and she was full of fear, but then so was he. What a pair they would make!

Hadyn lifted his hands to the level of his eyes, watching as flames slowly appeared around his fingertips. They shared a power few understood and they had endured trauma both because of their power and because of how others reacted to it. But most importantly: they were both human, full of imperfections and stupid decisions.

He'd lost her. Hadyn was sure of that. The moment he had turned his back on her and left, there was no way he could expect her to take him back. To love him.

Turning back to the table, he picked up his glass and downed the rest of the liquor. Only after he put it down did he notice something lying on the table. A piece of paper. Where had it come from?

Hadyn lifted it in his fingers, certain Kristoff must have left it there when Hadyn hadn't been looking.

His eyes widened at the rough sketch. It was his face. He turned to the back of the page, on which was written a short note.

 _Elsa drew this._

 _She loves you._

 _You love her._

 _We all love you_

 _So do you have the courage to stay?_

 _-K & A_

Hadyn stared at the picture for a moment, almost rolling his eyes about how dramatic they were. He turned the page over and looked down at his face. How had she captured him so perfectly? The darkness behind his eyes. The smiling humor in his lips to cover up the pain. Everything was him. Even the professional portraits of him at home could not match this simple sketch.

He looked up at the mirror, staring at himself in the distorted glass. How could she know him this well, when he had tried so much to hide himself?

A smile touched his lips. A decision. That was what was needed in this moment.

And he had made it.

Without a moment's hesitation, he turned and headed towards his wardrobe to dress for a wedding.


	24. Chapter 24

**Author's Note: Hi, guys, for the final time. I can't believe this story is over! Thank you everyone who left a review or just made it through to the end. It's been a long journey we've been on, you and me. But this will be the last chapter. Originally, I was going to post an Epilogue. In fact, I had it all written and then I read it back and I realized I hated it. I'm the type of reader and writer who does not like to tie up all the lose ends. I hate open-ended endings, but to have all the questions answers just seems a bit convenient. My epilogue could pretty much be summed up in "They lived happily ever after." And I hate that type of ending. So, I'm sticking with this chapter as the ending. As always, let me know what you guys think and thank you.**

 **Chapter 24. Today**

"The hot and the cold are both so intense. Put 'em together, it just makes sense!"

—Frozen, Olaf

The organ sounded in the grand ballroom and at the same moment everyone rose from their seats, turning to watch their queen walk Princess Anna down the aisle, towards the priest and groom. Elsa felt tense, watching all eyes on her. She was still unused to the attention. And yet, today she was not its center. Tightening her grip on Anna's hand, she smiled over at her sister.

Anna smiled back on her, saying through gritted teeth. "I can't breathe in this dress!"

Elsa smiled even more, glancing down at her sister's exquisite white gown, covered in literal snowflakes and icicles. Anna was indeed an ice princess. Elsa turned her attention towards Kristoff. He stood tall beside the priest, dressed in a crisp, white suit which looked nothing like his usual fashion. At his side proudly stood Sven, who insisted on being the best man despite being a reindeer. Elsa then glanced back behind her towards a small snowman carrying the back of Anna's train. Olaf looked proud to be part of the procession, his carrot nose high in the air. Everything was wonderful.

Almost.

Her smile vanished as a figure moved into her vision beside Kristoff. The tall figure wore long red robes, lined in patterns of black and gold. An exceptional costume. Her eyes moved up towards the black hair just as the red eyes turned towards hers.

Elsa tripped, catching her foot on a nonexistent snare in the carpet. Luckily, Anna tightened her grip and kept her sister from falling.

"What is he doing there?" Elsa said angrily through gritted teeth, glaring fiercely towards the fire prince standing beside Kristoff.

Anna just grinned, watching her sister's face. Letting out a soft chuckle, her voice was lilted with laughter. "Kristoff said he wanted a real best man. You know, a more human one. And Hadyn was there."

Elsa tightened her empty fist, continuing to talk through gritted teeth. "I should have thrown him out of the castle days ago."

Anna pocked her sister with her free hand. "Stop being such a stick-in-the-mud. It's my wedding!"

The ice queen took a deep breath, trying to calm her anger. Anna was right. Whatever the soon-to-be married couple was trying to do to set her up with Hadyn, it was still Anna's wedding. Plus, people were looking at them strangely for whispering so much as they drifted down the aisle. Keeping in her annoyance at Hadyn's attendance, Elsa stuck her chin in the air and focused on the Kristoff.

She kept her attention on him as the two sisters reached the end of the hall and their hands separated as Anna's focus turned on her groom.

The priest's voice bound the two lovers for the rest of their lives as Elsa and Hadyn stood silently behind. Elsa felt a sense of peace, despite Hadyn's presence. Anna looked so happy, as did Kristoff. Oh, how good had things turned out for them! As the priest pronounced them husband and wife, they kissed and the crowd burst into applause. Elsa smiled as well, as her eyes finally drifted over towards the fire prince. He was smiling. It was gentle smile as he watched her.

She looked away.

Two hours later, Elsa finally found her way away from the guests in the reception hall. The cutting of the cake had been completed. Eating had commenced. The orchestra played gentle waltzes as Anna danced in Kristoff's arms, her face bright as their eyes seemed to only see each other.

Elsa watched them, pleased by their happiness. And yet there was a part of her heart that ached as well. A part of her heart which she hated to accept. A distant hope that she could dance with Hadyn like that. Shaking her head, Elsa decided she needed some fresh air.

Her feet brought her to the edge of the garden, to a small alcove overlooking the lake. She took a deep breath of the fresh air, remembering briefly that this was the first place she had met the fire prince, nearly a month ago.

"Gorgeous view, isn't it?"

Elsa jumped slightly, and turned towards the silky, deep voice.

Hadyn stood before her, still dawned in the fine, red robes. Despite her anger towards him, she could not deny how handsome he looked tonight.

She gulped, feeling slight heat rush to her cheeks. Elsa turned away, hoping he didn't see her blush.

What he had just said had been the first words he had ever said to her. And so Elsa continued as how their first conversation had gone.

"It is," she said. "Do you like the snow?"

"Now really. It's quite…cold." Hadyn came to stand beside her, facing her. "But I wasn't talking about the snow. That dress is…breathtaking."

Elsa tightened her fist, determinedly focusing on the lake. "I really do not want to hear a compliment for you. Can you not leave and return home?"

His voice lowered. "Is that what you truly want?"

Elsa didn't respond, a glob forming in her throat to prevent her from responding.

Hadyn stepped closer, placing a hand gently on her own which sat gently on the railing of the balcony. "If you want me to, I will. But first, let me explain."

"Explain what?" Her voice sounded hoarse. "That you love me and then you don't?"

Hadyn shook his head. "I never meant…I do love you. I just never wanted to hurt you. Everything my cousin did hurt you so badly. All the lies I told you hurt you. I could never ask you to love me after everything I did. I decided that, maybe you liked me, but you couldn't care for me like I did for you. That you would recover quickly if I left. But if I stayed, I would only hurt you."

"How sacrificial of you," Elsa commented dryly. "I appreciate that you never asked my opinion on the matter."

He smiled. "There's the sarcastic ice queen I fell in love with. You're right. I should have talked to you. I'm just…I'm not so good at communicating my feelings. I never have been. Maybe if I was open with Jain, he might not be dead."

"If you were so certain about leaving, why are you still here?" Elsa felt it difficult to breathe, telling herself it was simply the strange energy coursing between their hands.

Hadyn released her hand and reached into his suit. A second later, he pulled out a folded piece of paper. Opening it, he held it to the dim light of the lanterns in the garden.

It was the sketch Elsa had done of him.

Gasping, Elsa tore it from his hand, and demanded, "Where did you get that?"

"Kristoff gave it to me."

Elsa cursed her new brother-in-law, telling herself to punch him the next time she saw him.

Hadyn himself seemed amused while she felt nothing but embarrassment.

"Well?" Elsa demanded. "What do you want me to say about it?"

He raised his hand to ran it through his sleeked dark hair, messing it up a bit. "How about you start with admitting you love me."

Elsa bit her lip as the words immediately sprung into her mouth. Only her teeth kept the words back. Why did they come so quickly?

Swallowing the words, she demanded, "What makes you think I love you? I drew that picture while I was trying to figure you out."

"You did."

"What?"

"You have figured me out. You know me better in one month than anyone knew me in my entire life. You know me. I'm prideful. I'm playful. I fear commitment. I have a dark past, full of death and fire. But then you are fearful too. You fear people you love leaving you. Getting hurt because of you. You are stubborn and prideful too. We are so similar, you and I."

Elsa clenched the paper in her hands, trying to keep her emotions back. It was so difficult.

Hadyn stared at her for a moment and then asked, "What are you thinking? I would dearly like to know what you are thinking."

Elsa glanced up at his red eyes, trying to keep her voice even. "I…I don't know what to think. You made me so angry at you for simply turning and leaving that day after you said you loved me. You were annoying from the first moment I met you. You wouldn't give me peace. You disrupt my comfortable life. But…" She paused.

"But?" Hadyn pushed.

She felt tears spring up to her eyes as her empty hand moved up to touch her heart gently. "But you made my heart beat so fast. Every moment I waited for you to show up. To demand we practice magic, or tease me. But all week, you didn't. I was so angry at you."

"I know. And I'm sorry. I know—"

"But it made me realize something," Elsa interrupted.

"What?" Hadyn seemed to be holding his breath.

Elsa's voice dropped away, so soft that when she spoke it was only a hushed breath of air which escaped as her lips formed the words, "I do love you."

That seemed to be enough for Hadyn, though. He reached forward and pulled her into his arms, wrapping her tightly in a fiery hug. Elsa let her arms reach around him as well, hugging him in return.

Silence settled over them as they stood unmoving. Just to hold each other, wanting to never let the other one go, was enough.

Soon, the moon would rise and guests would begin to slowly depart. But Hadyn would stay.


End file.
